Extraordinary
by Ava Sinclair
Summary: Twilight fangirl Elisa Jensen is well aware that there's not much in life she can't mess up on an epic scale, but the last thing she ever thought she'd be able to ruin was the storyline to her favorite series...
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello and welcome to Extraordinary, my first Twlight related fan fiction story! Extraordinary is the story of fifteen year old Elisa Jensen, an ordinary teenage girl in every way-until the night the lines between reality and fiction blur and through a disastrous coincidence, she changes the entire storyline of her favorite book series. Can she rectify her mistake in time to bring Edward and Bella back together?**_

_**This story is a teen rated dramedy. I would so appreciate any feedback and comments that you have for me. And of course, Twilight and all of its characters are the property of author Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Chapter One:**

_He released me, lifting his other hand to brush his fingertips along my cheek, trailing them down to my jaw. I could feel his fingers tremble-not with anger this time. He pressed his palm against my cheek, so that my face was trapped between his burning hands._

_"Bella." he whispered_.

"Don't do it, Bella. Don't give up on Edward." My voice too was a whisper as I read the words. I knew what would happen next, of course. I'd read this book so many times I could probably recite it in my sleep. But still, I was engrossed, completely caught up in the story, tense with anticipation.

"ELISA!" The voice was thunderously angry as it bellowed my name and I jumped in my seat, the book slipping from my fingers and thudding on to the dining room floor.

"Dad!" I gasped, my hand flying to my chest. "You scared-" I stopped as I saw the fury in his eyes. Too late I heard the low buzzing noise in the room, saw the cloud in the air. Even as I registered what was happening, the smoke alarm began to beep so loudly that I cringed.

"Dinner!" I jumped up and ran into the kitchen, throwing open the oven while my father stomped over to the corner where the smoke alarm was and began to wave a dishtowel in front of it, trying to dissipate the smoke. After a moment he gave up, the keening beeps just making him more angry, and tore the cover off and the batteries out. The silence was a relief, for a moment. I busied myself finding the oven mitt and then cautiously removing the smoldering pan of lasagna, but I could still feel the heat of his glare on my back.

"Um..." I turned on the light so I could see better and surveyed the damage. "It's just the edges that are burned. I could cut them off." I looked at him hopefully but Dad gave me a look that could have scorched our wallpaper.

"Two nights a week, Elisa. That's all. Just two nights a week your mother asks you to take care of dinner. You don't even have to make the damn food, all you have to do is take it out of the freezer and put it in the oven. Why is it that even that small chore is too much for you to manage?" A muscle twitched in his cheek. "Your mother and I don't work fifty plus hours a week to come home to burned lasagna!"

I shrank back, feeling the tears start to well in my eyes. "I'm sorry." I mumbled. Desperately I tried to blink the moisture back, but the more I took in Dad's angry expression the more teary I got. He saw it too, and for a moment he looked like he was going to explode, but then his expression changed to frustration.

"Dammit, Elisa, not the waterworks again. You're fifteen years old now...you've got to learn some responsibility, and you've got to learn to take your knocks when you screw up. You can't cry your way out of everything." He shook his head, his expression now one I was intimately familiar with-disappointment. The same expression he had on his face most of the time when it came to me.

Dad looked away from me and his eyes fell on my book. Striding over to the table, he leaned down and scooped it off the floor, giving an exasperated sigh as he looked at the cover. "This again. I should have known. These damn Twilight books are rotting your brain-as if you weren't ditzy enough to begin with." He shook his head, and his voice was quieter now, but no less annoyed. "In three years, you're going to be out in the real world, Elisa. Time to get your head out of the clouds. As for this-" he looked at the book he was holding with disgust- "no more. I'm putting it away. When I've decided your behavior has improved, you'll get it back."

He walked into the living room and I could see through the archway that separated it from the kitchen that he was putting the book on top of the very tall bookshelf next to his computer desk. It may not have seemed liked the most original hiding spot, but at barely five feet tall, I couldn't just reach up and take it back without dragging a chair over to stand on, and even then I'd have to stand on my tiptoes to reach it.

My chin was trembling as I turned and opened the drawer that contained our silverware, looking for a butter knife to cut the edges off the lasagna with.

"Don't bother." Dad snapped, and I turned to see him standing in the doorway watching me, his expression angry again. "I'm not making your mother and brother eat that. I'm going to order Chinese and you can damn well bet it's coming out of your allowance." Turning, he walked back into the living room and reached for the telephone.

Now I couldn't stop the tears as they trickled down my face. I tried not to sob as I took the pan over to the sink and carefully scooped out the lasagna, putting it in the garbage disposal bit by bit. I hated it when my dad yelled at me, although since it was a daily occurrence it seemed unfair that I hadn't built up some kind of tolerance to it. Crying was a near daily activity for me too. My parents seemed to think this was intentional on my part, which was just insane. Did they think I liked being this sensitive, getting my feelings hurt by a look or a careless word, having tear ducts that overflowed at the drop of a hat, usually in public in the most embarrassing situation possible? Not even. I'd give just about anything to 'toughen up' as Dad often barked at me, to have a thicker skin, to be able to shrug it all off, but I couldn't. It was just the way I was.

As I wiped my teary eyes, my little brother sidled into the room, looking at me warily. I looked back at him, no energy left to tell him to get lost.

Colby was eleven and about as different from me as he could be. People who met us for the first time often couldn't believe we were related. I was small for my age, a fact that I loathed, with light blond hair inherited from our mother, a pale complexion that got burned after mere seconds in the sun but stubbornly refused to tan, and my grandmother's blue eyes. Colby was almost as tall as me already, and was sure to outgrow me in a year or two, a situation that was bound to be humiliating. He had messy dark red hair, green eyes, and freckles, something that he hadn't inherited from either of our parents. My mom was pale like me, and my dad had brown hair and brown eyes. They theorized that he'd gotten his coloring from a distant relative. I often and loudly speculated that he had been left on our doorstep by leprechauns and our parents were just too soft-hearted to tell him.

"Geez, Elisa are you crying again?" His tone was reminiscent of our father's, and I glared at him. "I can't believe you haven't died of dehydration by now."

"Shut up." I snapped, rinsing out the empty lasagna pan.

Colby's voice softened slightly. "He wouldn't yell at you if you just stopped being such a space cadet all the time, you know."

"I'm not a space cadet!" I hissed, but the words were hollow and we both knew it. For as long as I could remember, I seemed to spend as much time inside my fantasy life as I did the real world. It was just second nature to me to get lost in a book, a favorite song, and especially in the daydreams that were constantly swirling around in my head. I could spend hours just staring out windows, lost in my own universe. Unfortunately, I'd never learned how to disguise my idealogical wanderings very well, or the resulitng blank stares and vacant expressions. 'Space cadet' was one of the kinder names people called me. My report cards were filled with words like 'unfocused' or 'inattentive'. My parents called me a dreamer when they were in a good mood. More often, especially lately, they called me ditzy and irresponsible. Even my friends teased me about my complete inability to concentrate on anything in the real world for more than a few minutes at a time.

I had to admit, it had gotten worse lately. A lot worse. Unconsciously, my gaze traveled back to the living room and the book that sat on top of the bookshelf. Ever since my best friend Michelle had talked me into reading the Twilight series, it was like my mind had been taken over. Normally, I didn't count on books for daydreaming material. Other people's stories rarely lived up to the ones I invented myself, but this was different-totally different. It was like a door had been opened to a place I'd never been before, a place filled with magic and romance written specifically for me. Of course that was stupid...just about the entire female population of our school were in love with Edward Cullen. I guess that was the pull of the books-the way they made almost every single one of us feel like the author had climbed into our head and written our fantasies into life.

"Hey, Elisa!" Colby snapped his fingers in front of my face, making me jump. "Wake up, would ya?" He sounded exasperated. "Food's here."

Hurriedly, I put the pan in the dishwasher and grabbed a stack of plates and forks to take into the dining room. Quickly, I set the table and then began to spoon food onto everyone's plates, more than aware of my father's stern gaze as I worked. I didn't dare fall into one of my trances now...I could tell by his frequent heavy sighs that he was still on the edge of an explosion.

Just as I opened my mouth to ask Dad if he wanted orange chicken the front door opened and my mother walked in, her forehead crinkled and her expression tight before she smoothed it all out and smiled at us. She started to greet us in a cheery voice but broke off as she saw the boxes of Chinese food on the table. "What happened to the lasagna?" she asked curiously as she hung up her coat in the hall closet.

I bit my lip, hoping Dad might find it in his heart to cover for me but no such luck. "Elisa burned it." he said sourly, shooting me a dirty look.

"Thanks, Dad." I grumbled under my breath as my mother sighed and her tight expression returned.

"Elisa..." she started, and then simply exhaled, seeming to give up. Shaking her head, she sat down at the table. "Pass me the teriyaki sauce."

Dinner time remained tense and awkward for the next several minutes until Colby managed to engross Dad in a spirited discussion about football. I watched them talk heatedly, occasionally yelling over each other about disputed plays and favorite players. Despite the raised voices, it was easy to see how much they both were enjoying themselves. Dad and Colby were like two peas in a pod. Dad was a sports fanatic. Football was his favorite but just about anything that involved a ball and a team of sweaty, overly aggressive players ranked high in his book. Colby was like his mini-me in that respect. There didn't seem to be a sport he didn't obsess over. Last year it had been soccer, but this year he'd joined the junior football league. Dad was so thrilled he'd volunteered to be the assistant coach.

Dad was laughing now at something Colby had said, his eyes crinkled around the corners, all signs of his bad mood gone. He never laughed with me like that. I swallowed hard against the lump that had suddenly appeared in my throat. I was being stupid again. Dad and I had a big nothing in common. I hated sports. Being forced to sit through Colby's games or Superbowl Sunday was like torture. Of course Dad preferred Colby...what did I expect him to do, take a sudden interest in shopping or makeup? Maybe cry through Titanic with me or watch Gossip Girl? I shook my head, annoyed at myself for getting upset again.

"So Elisa." My mother's voice broke through my thoughts. "How was school today?" I looked up to see her leaning towards me, looking mildly concerned. Maybe she'd seen the expression on my face.

"Um..." I thought back. "It was good. I got a B on my history exam, and I signed up for cheerleading tryouts. Oh, and Michelle-"

Mom's cell phone rang, cutting me off. She jumped up and pulled it out of her purse, looked at the caller ID screen and sighed. "I have to take this. I'll be right back." she walked into the kitchen, putting the phone to her ear as she went.

I finished my dinner while she was gone, feeling more relaxed about retreating into my own thoughts since Dad was no longer paying any attention to me. Just as I was sinking into a detailed remembrance of Bella and Edward's day in the meadow, Mom returned to the table.

"Sorry about that, honey. Nothing but problems at work lately." Her forehead was still creased. "What were we talking about?"

"Nothing important, Mom." I stood up. "I'm done eating anyway."

Mom nodded absently, stirring her food around on her plate, her own eyes far away. Thinking about work again, probably.

I stood up to clear the table, looking forward to escaping to my room. Dad may have taken my copy of New Moon, but Twilight and Eclipse were still on my bedside table. I'd just re-read one of them instead. The more I thought about it though, the more it irritated me. I knew it was irrational, but suddenly I wanted to read New Moon more than just about anything. Dad said he'd give it back to me when my behavior improved but since he never liked anything I did, there didn't seem much hope there. I thought about pleading my case with him but quickly banished that thought. He might decide to take the other two books as well, once he realized that he'd found a pretty good way to punish me.

As my thoughts become more resentful I clanked the dishes together angrily, and took the stack to the kitchen. Thankfully, Dad didn't notice the glower on my face...he and Colby were standing up now, putting on their jackets, apparently going outside to play a little football before the sunlight completely disappeared. Mom was on the phone again, pacing the living room, and I felt sorry for her...her food was going to be cold before she had a chance to finish it. I went back to the dining room and picked up her plate, then took it to the kitchen to reheat in the microwave.

Mom was snapping her phone shut when I returned her plate to the dining room. She looked over at me and smiled. "Thank you, Elisa. That was thoughtful."

I looked at the bookshelf she was standing next to and was struck by sudden inspiration. "No problem, Mom. Hey, um, could you hand me my book please?"

"What book?" she asked, rubbing her forehead and looking tired.

"Behind you on the top of the bookshelf." I pointed.

"Oh." Mom reached up and got it down, then walked into the dining room and handed it to me. "Do your homework before you start reading again." she warned me as she sat back down at the table and picked up her fork.

"Sure." I beamed at her. Hopefully, Dad wouldn't notice the book was gone, but even if he did, it wasn't like I had been the one to take it. Pleased with myself, I walked upstairs to my bedroom, tossing New Moon onto my bed as I entered. It lay there, glossy and black, tempting me to hurry and change into my pajamas and curl up with it, but I had to at least make a stab at being responsible. Reluctantly, I picked up my bookbag and got out my binder, deciding to start with math, by far my worst subject, and get it out of the way.

My math assignment turned out to be as tedious and incomprehensible as I had feared. I struggled through it as fast as I could, then rushed through the rest of my homework. Finally done, I picked out my pajamas and walked into my bathroom to change and scrub off the small amount of makeup I was allowed to wear. I brushed my hair out and returned to my room, picking up New Moon and climbing beneath my covers.

"Where did I leave off?" I murmured to myself and then remembered. Alice had come back to Forks and Jacob was putting the moves on Bella. Flipping through the book, I found the right page, settled back on my pillow, and began to read, losing myself in the web of words until tiredness seeped through me and my eyes slowly closed.

It came slowly out of the blackness, my sense of self-awareness returning. At first everything was dark, and I was so tired...I didn't want to wake up. I didn't hear my alarm...surely it couldn't be time to get ready for school.

But as I struggled to stay in that comforting darkness, to stay asleep and blissfully unaware, I couldn't help but feel the floating sensation that spread through me, lifting me up, higher and higher...

My eyes snapped open and I let out such a loud gasp that the man standing in front of me turned and looked down at me. I barely noticed. My eyes were wide with shock. I wasn't in my bedroom. I wasn't even lying down. I was standing upright and people I'd never seen in my life were behind me, in front of me, all around me, looking as though this were all perfectly normal, not even paying attention to me. I had no idea where I was. My fearful eyes didn't see anything that looked in the least bit familiar. And worst of all, I was_ moving_. Wildly I looked around and a muffled, near hysterical cry came from my lips. I was on an escalator going who knew where. I swayed, terror exploding inside of me as I looked over the side and saw how high up I was.

"Oh no, no no!" I was barely aware I was speaking as I turned and struggled past the people behind me. "Please move, please let me off!"

"What do you think you're doing?" A woman clutching a large black shoulderbag glared at me as I elbowed past her.

"I'm sorry but I have to get off!" I gasped, panic threatening to overwhelm me. Relief washed over me as I moved past the angry woman. I was more than halfway down now and past most of the people. The only ones left in my way were two brunette girls, one with short, spiky hair and the other with long. The long haired girl had a small overnight bag over her shoulder and the most miserable expression I'd ever seen on her face. The spiky haired girl merely looked very tense, an expression that changed to extreme annoyance as I moved towards them.

"Excuse me, please I have to get down!" I gasped as I tried to get past them.

"Well, that's just great but you're on the escalator going_ UP_!" The spiky haired girl snapped at me, giving me a murderous glare. Immediately, I realized she was right. The ground floor, my safe haven from this metal deathtrap, was moving away from me again and I was going up..._backwards_. Dizziness and fear spiraled within me and I tried to turn around, reaching for the railing, but I lost my footing and slipped. My hands clawed wildly for something to grab onto, trying to keep me from falling but it was no use. I slammed right into the two girls and the three of us crashed down the escalator, moving much faster downwards then it could take us up. We landed at the bottom in a crumpled heap.

"Bella, are you OK?" The short-haired girl jumped up, pulling her companion to her feet, looking her over anxiously.

"I'm...fine." The girl...Bella??...shook her head, looking a little dazed.

"Thank God." Her friend said. "We so don't have time for a trip to the E.R."

I slowly got to my feet too, shaking so hard I nearly fell down again, and the smaller girl turned to me. I had a second to notice that she was even shorter than I was before her violent expression drove all other thought from my mind.

"What the hell is your problem?!" she fumed, looking as though she'd like nothing better then to throttle me until I turned purple.

I had just opened my mouth-to say what I don't know-when more voices demanded my attention.

"What's going on here?" The sound was male and annoyed. The three of us looked up to see two men, one black and one white, dressed in uniform and staring at us. Security guards, by the look of it. "Are any of you hurt?"

"No." The short haired girl shook her head. "No thanks to her." She shot me a bitter look and the guards turned their attention to me.

"What happened here?" The black guard asked again, looking at me, his face stern.

I was still at a complete loss for words, gasping for breath, and trying to get my shaking under control. Before he could question me again, there was a sudden crackle of noise and a booming voice spoke, making me jump.

"This is the final boarding call for Flight 1431, New York to Florence, Italy. Repeat, final boarding call for Flight 1431." The voice kept speaking, adding instructions, but my attention was distracted by Bella's gasp.

"Alice, that's us!" she cried.

I was brought up short by the name. Alice? Bella? I stared at them, my mouth open. It was too much of a coincidence. It couldn't be...could it? Bella returned my stare but I could tell she wasn't really seeing me. Her eyes were distraught, staring far away as if at any moment the world was going to end and she was the only one who knew it. I suddenly felt horribly guilty for the trouble I'd caused her.

"We have to go!" Alice seized her hand and they turned, tearing back up the escalator. This time, they were the ones pushing people out of their way, ignoring the indignant comments and angry stares. I watched them until they reached the top of the escalator and disappeared.

"Hey, you!" The guards were still waiting for my answer and I turned back to them. "Pay attention! Did you knock those girls down?"

I turned back to him, struggling to get myself under control. "I didn't mean to." My voice was shaky. "It was...I panicked. I'm sorry."

The guards exchanged looks and then the same one looked back at me. "What scared you, Miss?" he said, his voice gentler.

"I..." I looked around. "Escalator." I mumbled, still trying to absorb what I was seeing, the crowds of people rushing past me, the carts of luggage being wheeled by people in various uniforms, the signs, the frequent overhead announcements. "I'm at an airport, aren't I?"

The guards exchanged another, longer look. "You're at La Guardia airport, New York City." The white guard said slowly. His voice was cautious. "You didn't know that?"

"New York?" I gasped. "That's not possible. I can't be in New York! I've never even been past Chicago!"

"OK, Miss." The guards seemed to have made a decision. "You're going to need to come with us."

I backed up. "But I didn't do anything!" I gasped, my voice rising in fear.

"Of course not." The first guard was speaking now and his voice was careful, almost patronizing. "But...you seem very confused. We just want to help you. All we're going to do is take you to our office and figure this out, OK?"

"But-" I looked at their sympathetic, yet stern expressions. It didn't look I had much of a choice. "Alright." I whispered.

"So let me get this straight." The second guard asked me as we walked through the terminal, me between them in a move that I was sure was deliberate. "The escalator scared you?"

"Oh." I realized how ridiculous that sounded and hurried to explain myself. "I have escalator fear." I giggled, a little hysterically. "I mean...I guess it's like a fear of heights...I just hate them. They're like...moving staircases of death. Sometimes I even have dreams that I'm stuck on-hey!"

"Hey what?" The guards exchanged yet another look. I think I was seriously beginning to rattle them but I was so relieved by my sudden internal revelation that I continued to babble.

"It all makes sense now!" Relief was flooding my body and I laughed. "I fell asleep reading, and now I'm dreaming! That's why I was on the escalator, and why I'm in New York, and why Alice and Bella were here...of course!"

The guards were silent now. I looked up to see one of them leaning towards the other, keeping a wary eye on me as though I was a rabid animal that could attack at any moment. "I think we need to call for a bus." He muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"An bus?" I was confused for a moment, and then thousands of hours of nighttime television viewing came to my aid. "You mean an ambulance?" I pulled away and turned to look at them, bewildered. "I'm not hurt-why would you need to call an ambulance?"

They continued to give me wary looks and suddenly I realized that more guards were coming, appearing out of the crowd in response to some signal I had missed and walking slowly forward to make a cautious circle around me. "Oh." I said again, realizing what was happening. "You think I'm pulling a Britney. I swear I'm not crazy. I mean it's kind of understandable that you would think that. I mean, it's only a dream to me. It's probably pretty real to you, being dream people and all."

It was clear I wasn't helping myself any. The guard nearest to me reached for his cuffs, and they continued to advance towards me slowly. This dream was really starting to suck. Why wasn't I waking up yet? I reached out and pinched myself hard in the arm but it didn't hurt in the least, dang it, and it certainly didn't wake me up. I decided to change strategies.

"Um..." I could tell the guard was about to spring as I backed away slowly. "Look, this has all been a big, big misunderstanding. I was just kind of...joking around with you. I'm sorry-I know it was stupid. I knew all along where I was. Um...my parents are here. We're uh...catching a flight soon back home to San Diego. I really better go find them. "

I could tell by their stony expressions that they weren't buying it. "Turn around, Miss." The guard with the cuffs was speaking. "This is just for your own protection."

"No!" The panic was back. "Please don't cuff me. I swear I'm not dangerous." My eyes were prickling with tears as I took another step back and then I gasped as I bumped into something solid. Another guard was behind me and quickly he grabbed my arms, forcing them backwards. I could hear his own set of cuffs rattling as he took them off his belt. This wasn't a dream-this was a neverending nightmare.

I waited to feel the slap of cold steel around my wrist and that's when I heard it...faint, far away, and almost impossible to hear at first, then becoming louder. I strained to figure it out, looking at the guards to see if they heard it too, but suddenly it was like I was seeing them through a cloudy mist. For some reason their faces all wore identical shocked expressions as they stared at me. I struggled to speak, to ask them what was happening, when everything disappeared.

"Elisa!'

Gasping, I sat up in bed and my copy of New Moon slid off my lap and sideways off the bed, hitting the carpet with a muffled thump. I blinked, my eyes still feeling heavy, and struggled to focus on the figure standing at the foot of my bed.

"Mom?" I asked but my voice came out a drowsy mumble.

Mom sighed as she walked around to my bedside table and hit the button to shut my alarm off. "Your alarm has been going off for almost fifteen minutes." She leaned down and picked up my book, putting it on the table. "Did you stay up all night reading? You know better than that. Get up or you'll be late." She turned and left the room.

My head still felt clouded with exhaustion as I forced myself to climb out from under my warm covers. I looked down at my wrists, almost expected to see a handcuff swinging from one of them. What a weird dream. I mean, I'd had much more bizarre dreams before, and this certainly wasn't my first Twilight related dream either, but it just...it had felt so real. Every detail had been so vivid, so realistic, not jumping out of sequence or from one place to another, not veering off into wild, romantic fantasy or screaming horror the way my dreams so often did. I shook my head, and then walked to my window, pulling back the curtains. The sight of the clear blue sky, the sun touching the green grass of our lawn below and glinting off our mailbox, and the palm trees in the distance were all greatly reassuring. I was home in San Diego. I was fine. I opened the window and the cool morning breeze blew in, ruffling my hair, touching my face, and raising light goosebumps on my arms. I could feel myself waking up, shaking off the dream more completely. Feeling much more relaxed, I stretched and then shut the window. Turning around, I caught sight of the numbers on my alarm clock and gasped. I had to get moving or I really would be late.

Twenty minutes later I had showered, dressed, blown dry my hair and used a large amount of hair products to force it into submission. I didn't have time for makeup today, so a small amount of lipgloss had to do. Rushing back into my room, my heart sank as I saw from the clock that I had less than fifteen minutes to make my bus. I shoved my homework and school books into my backpack and looked around quickly to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. My gaze fell on my copy of New Moon and after a moment's hesitation, I picked it up and put it in my backpack as well. Maybe I could get away with reading it during my study period. Then I shrugged my arms into the straps of the backpack and ran down the stairs and out the door into the sunshine, leaving the last remnants of my odd dream behind me.

I made it to the bus stop less than a minute before the bus came, and soon I was walking through the front doors of Patrick Henry High. I headed quickly through the hallways, already crowded even though we still had twenty minutes before the first bell rang. I wanted to hurry and stash the books I wouldn't need for a while in my locker and then hopefully I'd have time to catch up with Michelle and Rae.

As it turned out, I didn't have to spend any time looking for them. Michelle and Rae showed up at my locker almost as soon as I opened it.

"You didn't call last night." Rae said by way of greeting, startling me so much I dropped the binder I was holding on the ground.

"Gah! Don't sneak up on me like that!" I put the rest of my books in the locker and turned to my friends. "Sorry, but my dad was in one of his moods. I spent the night doing chores and homework and trying to stay out of his way."

Rae was looking as perfect as ever, her creamy skin glowing and her shiny black hair perfectly in place under a dark purple headband as she nodded at my explanation. She was wearing a simple but gorgeous lacy white dress that I'd never seen before. This I was sure of, because I definitely would have tried to borrow it by now if I had known about it. Then again, that's probably why she'd never let me see it. I had this embarrassing tendency to lose things I had borrowed, or return them in less than stellar condition. I never meant to be so careless, of course, but I couldn't seem to help it. Michelle, on the other hand, was looking a little less girlie than usual in a pair of jeans and a tight, cropped black t-shirt with a scrawled slogan: 'Death To The Unnamed Blonde.' I gave her a quizzical look.

"What do you have against blondes? Should I be worried?" I clutched my hair and gave her a mock frightened look.

Michelle gave me a half curious, half irritated look, as if I'd asked something completely obvious . "You skipped your morning Starbucks today, didn't you?"

I shrugged, not sure what she was talking about but not really caring either. If she didn't want to tell me what her t-shirt meant it was nothing to me. I bent down to pick up my binder and straightened up to see Rae frowning at me. "What? Why are you staring at me?"

"It's just...your outfit. It's so cheerful." She shrugged as I looked down at my wrap around buttercream colored shirt and slightly darker skirt I was wearing.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked, bewildered. Normally Rae loved my taste in clothes, which was quite the compliment coming from a fashionista like her.

"No, it's just not like you." Rae shrugged. "You did say you were going to wear black for the rest of your life. Nice to see you're out of mourning."

This made as much sense to me as it would have if she'd spoken it in her native language, Japanese. "OK, what are you talking about? Why would I want to wear black every day? I'm not some goth freak. And why am I supposed to be mourning?" Irritated, I slammed my locker shut, forgetting that I had meant to put my binder in first.

Michelle and Rae both gaped at me.

"Are you OK, Elisa? You seem a little out of it today." Michelle said, her expression changing from irritated to concerned.

"I'm fine." I said. "I just wish you two would stop talking in riddles, is all." We started walking down the hallway.

"I'm not talking in riddles." Rae protested, looking exasperated. "I just didn't know you were over Edward Cullen, is all. I thought you were going to be depressed forever over that stupid book."

I was even more confused now but before I could speak Michelle gave Rae a dirty look. "It's not stupid, Rae. You cried over it too, you know."

"Yeah, yeah." Rae shook her head impatiently. "But I moved on. I don't obsess every day over the death of a imaginary character, unlike you two."

"Wait, wait. Hang on a minute." I stopped walking and turned to face them. "What are you two babbling about? The death of _what_ imaginary character?" A sudden chill crept up my spine.

Once again they stared at me, and then exchanged worried looks not unlike the ones on the faces of the airport security guards in my dream the night before.

"Edward Cullen!" Rae's voice rose and she stared at me in amazement. "How can you not know what I'm talking about? You rant about it every single day!"

"What?" I suddenly felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. "Are you joking? Edward never died!"

"Oh my God." Rae closed her eyes in exasperation. "You're in denial now. Isn't that stage of grief supposed to come a lot earlier than this?"

"What?" I turned to Michelle. "This isn't funny. What the hell is she talking about? You know Edward never died!"

Michelle was actually started to look scared. "Elisa, you're freaking me out. Edward died in New Moon. The Volturi killed him after he tried to walk out into the sun. Don't you remember? We cried for weeks!"

My temper started to rise. "What is this, an early April Fool's prank? C'mon, you guys. Bella saved him! She got to Italy just in time, and she ran to the alley and stopped him from walking out!"

Rae threw up her hands. "Forget denial. The girl's delusional." She grabbed my arm as I sputtered angrily and dragged me into a nearby bathroom, Michelle following close behind.

"Sorry, but you need to get out." Rae snapped at a girl who was applying mascara in front of the mirror. "My friend is having a serious mental breakdown and she needs to have it in private."

The girl started to protest, looking equal parts annoyed and intimidated, but Rae gave her a blistering look and intimidation won. She grabbed up her bag and hurried out, the door banging shut behind her.

"OK." Rae took me by the shoulders and forced me to face her. "Elisa, you know very well that Bella and Alice didn't get to Italy in time. Edward died Face it. Deal with it. Please, for my sake, move on. We have cheerleading tryouts this afternoon and I'm pretty sure that being sane is a prerequisite for making the squad."

By this point, I was miles beyond confused and bearing down on pissed off at full speed. "OK, you guys. This is hysterically funny-' my voice dripped with sarcasm-'but the joke's over. I know what happened in New Moon probably better than anyone in this school. I've read the book at least fifty times! Bella saved Edward!" My voice began to break.

"No, she didn't!" Michelle's voice was also dangerously close to tears by now. "Elisa, I think you're the one trying to play a joke on us and you seriously sound deranged. Alice and Bella missed their connection in New York, remember? That stupid blonde twit knocked them down the escalator and they didn't make it to the plane on time!"

I froze. For a minute I forgot how to breathe. No. No way. She did not just say what I thought she said. The memory of my dream slammed into me full force, the way I had stumbled, nearly hysterical, down the escalator, the moment I lost my balance, the two brunettes I took down with me...Bella...Alice...no! It couldn't be...there was no way it could be true.

"Elisa!" Rae's voice had lost her edge as she stared at me. "What is wrong with you? Are you sick? Do you want us to take us to the nurse?"

"No...I..." I couldn't even remember how to form comprehensible words as the tears welled in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. Everything around me was turning different colors and I felt my breath coming in heaving gasps. Beneath me, my legs quivered, turning to jelly. I leaned against the tile wall for support, but it wasn't enough. Slowly, I slid to the ground.

"Elisa, get up! Get up right now or I'm going to get someone to help you!"

I barely registered Rae's voice. "No." I shook my head again. "No, I'll prove it to you. You guys can't trick me. I'll prove that Edward lived." I reached for my bookbag with numb fingers, clumsily undoing the clasp. Reaching inside, I was desperately relieved to see my copy of New Moon still there. I pulled it out and hurriedly flipped through the pages.

"You'll see." I was still mumbling as I finally made it to the right section. "You'll see. They ran for their connection, they made it just fine..." My fingers ran down the page, trying to find the right paragraph, then stopped, along with my heart.

It was right there in black and white. There was only a couple of lines about it, but it was enough. I read the horrible words once, twice, then again, and again and again, still unable to process what I was reading. It was just like they said. A blonde girl on the escalator-the book described her as 'stringy haired'-had knocked Alice and Bella off the escalator, costing them the precious few minutes they needed to save Edward's life.

"Elisa?" Michelle's voice was just a whisper, and I realized belatedly that she and Rae were kneeling on either side of me, both looking pale and scared. "Elisa, come on. Calm down, please."

I couldn't speak. Those weren't the words I wanted to hear from her. I wanted her to burst out laughing, slap Rae a high five, and boast about how they had tricked me. I wouldn't even be mad. I wanted them to say that they had doctored the book, that they had messed with my mind and made me have weird dreams, I wanted them to say none of this was real. I opened my mouth to beg them to tell me the truth, but the words got lost as my blurry, tear filled gaze fell on my binder, lying next to my feet. I'd been doodling on it since the beginning of the school year, sometimes adding stickers or taping little lolcat pictures or other things I printed off the internet onto it, and I saw all these things as I looked at it. Mrs. Elisa Cullen was written at the top, just the same way I had written it. All my happy and sad faces were there, all my pictures...with one major difference. The small black square in the corner, the one that until yesterday had read '**Edward Cullen-Sexier Than You Since 1901**' now said '**Edward Cullen-Sexier Than You Until 2006**.' And underneath that, in my own handwriting, was scrawled _R.I.P. Edward...my heart is yours forever_. Suddenly everything clicked. It all made sense in a horrendous way that I really didn't want it to. I even understood the slogan on Michelle's shirt now and that realization made more tears, tears of guilt and shame this time, stream down my face.

It was all my fault. I was the stringy haired blonde. And I had totally killed Edward Cullen.

TBC

**In chapter two, Elisa is desperate to fix what she's done, but how?**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Welcome to my Twilight fanfiction, Extraordinary. This is the story of fifteen year old Elisa Jensen, a Twilight fan who is about to see her favorite story come to life in ways she never could have conceived of. In the first chapter, Elisa had a dream that turned out to be all too real, changing not only her life but the life of her favorite characters with disastrous consequences.**_

_**This is my first Twilight fanfic story and I really hope you enjoy it. All feedback is very much welcome and motivates me to keep writing. And as always, I do not own any part of the Twilight empire or the characters created by Stephenie Meyer.**_

_**Extraordinary: Chapter Two**_

_**Tuesday A.M. **_(continues directly from last chapter)

Slumped on the cold, tile floor of the girl's bathroom, I felt myself coming apart. Literally. So much confusion swirled around my head that it felt like it was going to explode. My best friends Rae and Michelle were still pleading with me to get up, to calm down, to do anything but what I was doing at the moment, but I could barely hear them. All I could focus on was the realization of what I had done.

Edward Cullen was dead because of me. It didn't matter that he wasn't real, that he was just a character in my favorite books. Somehow, I had gotten into his world. And I had obliterated it with one clumsy step. How could this be possible? Was I losing my mind?

Vaguely, I was aware of the sound of the bathroom door opening. Rae looked up with blazing eyes, clearly ready to pounce on whoever was interrupting my meltdown, but then swallowed the words abruptly when she saw who it was. I followed her gaze, desperate for a distraction.

Vanessa Lawrence, a junior, nearly six feet tall with thick, dark red hair, a perfect complexion, and a supermodel's figure was standing just inside the doorway, looking down at me with a mixture of surprise and concern. Rae jumped to her feet as if the Queen of England had just walked into the room, and I guessed for her maybe Vanessa was the equivalent. Vanessa was, hands down, the most popular, perfect, and envied girl at Patrick Henry High. Everyone wanted to be in her space, breathing the same purified, magical air that she did, in the hopes that perhaps some of her dazzling perfection or at least her popularity would rub off on them. Part of the reason that Rae was so eager for us to join the cheerleading squad was because Vanessa was the captain. Any of the three of us would have done just about anything to get her attention, to have a chance to impress her enough to become part of her inner circle, and now here she was, walking towards me and kneeling down to look in my face, and I couldn't have cared less.

"Elisa, isn't it?" Vanessa turned to my friends. "What's wrong with her?" she asked Rae and Michelle as she took in my pale, teary face. Even in my demented state I could hear the note of genuine sympathy in her voice. That was just one of the many facets of her awe inducing perfection...not only was she gorgeous, popular, and brilliant, she was nice. Really, really nice. It was almost disgusting-a girl who had everything she had could at least have the courtesy to be mean, so that the rest of us at least would be able to consider ourselves better than her in one small way.

"Um...she..well, she's just..." Rae was clearly at a loss for words, a rarity for her.

"She's freaking out. Over, um...well, this." Michelle took my copy of New Moon out of my numb hands and showed it to Vanessa. At first, Vanessa just looked confused for a moment, then she looked at the title and smiled in recognition.

"Oh, I loved the first book in that series! I stopped reading after the second book though-never got around to the third. It was just too sad when Edward died."

It took a moment for my hysteria clouded brain to process her words. When they did, a sudden jolt of adrenaline shot through me and I was propelled to my feet, feeling a ray of hope through my misery. "The third book-Eclipse! Everything gets fixed in that book, right? Edward comes back? He and Bella get engaged?" I stared at the three of them. 'Please say yes, please say yes...' I chanted to myself.

"Um...no." Michelle was still staring at me. "Edward never came back, Elisa. He died...for good."

I burst into fresh sobs and Vanessa looked horrified. "Oh, Elisa, everything's going to be OK. It's just a book. Take a deep breath and try to relax." She shrugged the large bookbag she was carrying off of her shoulders and began to rummage around in it, coming up with a bottle of water which she uncapped and handed to me. "Here, drink this, and then we'll clean you up and get you to class." She smiled at me in what was clearly meant to be a kindly matter.

I couldn't smile back...it felt like my face would crumple and slide off if I even tried. I took the bottle of water automatically and turned back to Michelle. "If Edward didn't come back in Eclipse, what happenened then? What happened in Italy? Did Bella die too?" I couldn't imagine Bella wanting to live in a world that didn't have Edward in it. Had I killed her too? I was dreading Michelle's answer, yet I had to know. I brought the bottle of water to my lips, taking a long drink as I waited for her to answer.

"Well..." Michelle twisted her hands together, clearly frightened that her answer would send me plummenting the last few inches into Crazytown, never to return. "Bella and Alice got on the next flight to Italy, but Edward was already dead. They um..." Her own eyes got teary. "They found his funeral pyre, where the Volturi burned his body. Then Jane showed up, took them to Aro, and Bella tried to beg him to have her for dinner but Alice knocked her out. Then Alice had to make all sorts of promises to him to get them out of Volterra alive, like that she might come back and join them someday. She took Bella back to Forks but Bella was still suicidal-the only thing that stopped her from offing herself was thinking about what it would do to her parents. That's how New Moon ended."

I felt like I was going to throw up. It was even worse than I thought. "And Eclipse? What was that about, if Edward and Bella weren't back together and planning to get married?" I took another drink of water, trying to ease my nausea.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Michelle gave me a hard stare. "_Jacob_ and Bella were the ones who got engaged in Eclipse, not_ Edward _and Bella!"

I choked. "What?!" I tried to say but my mouth was still full of water, which I accidentally spat all over Rae.

"EWWWW! Elisa!" Rae cried, glaring at me as she reached for a stack of paper towels.

I didn't even bother to say I was sorry. "You're insane! Jacob and Bella..._engaged_?!

"Yes!" Michelle gave me a hard look, clearly losing patience. "That's what Eclipse was about. Bella decided to try to live for the sake of her family, and she moved on with Jacob, even though she knew she'd never be really happy again, not the way she was with Edward."

"Oh my God." I felt like I was going to slide back onto the floor. "I wrecked everything!"

Vanessa raised a perfectly arched eyebrow as she stared at the three of us. "What exactly are you talking about, Elisa?"

I ignored her as another thought suddenly gave me one last, tiny spark of hope. "But wait...isn't there supposed to be a fourth book coming out soon? Maybe everything will be fixed in that book! Edward can show up just as Jacob and Bella are about to walk down the aisle and everything will go back to normal...it will all be OK! Right?" I looked at them hopefully.

Rae actually laughed at this point, which I thought was rather unsympathetic. "Are you kidding, Elisa? After what happened with Eclipse? The fans went crazy when Stephenie Meyer didn't bring Edward back to life. Some of the totally deranged ones even started stalking her, sending her hate mail, and vandalizing her house. She's had to move like three times. After all that, the fourth book got cancelled. I'll bet she's sorry she ever wrote the series in the first place."

I didn't think it was possible to feel worse then I already did, but somehow I managed it. I was the lowest of the low. Not only had I wrecked fictional lives, but a real one as well. Poor Stephenie. How had she made sense of what had happened? Did she blame herself? I had to make this right! I didn't have the faintest clue as to how, but I just had to.

"Elisa." Vanessa was speaking again. I looked up and she handed me a damp paper towel. "The bell's about to ring. Are you alright now? We all have to get to class."

I was totally not alright. 'Alright' had left the planet and gone to vacation on Pluto. But if I didn't pull myself together, someone was going to put me in a straitjacket. I took a deep breath and then accepted the paper towel, turning to look at myself in the mirror as I washed the tears off my face. I was a total wreck. My lip gloss had been bitten off, my hair was all over the place, and my eyes were red and puffy. Yesterday I would have rather died then let anyone see me like this. Today it barely even registered.

Rae and Michelle looked extremely relieved as I washed my face. I must have seemed much calmer to them but they had no idea of the inner turmoil that was swirling inside of me, and there was no way I'd ever be able to explain. Feeling like I'd been totally drained, I shuffled after them as we left the bathroom. It was going to be one seriously long day.

_**Tuesday Evening**_

The day had dragged on excruciatingly slowly, even worse than I imagined. I had suffered through every single minute of it, not able to concentrate on a single thing except for the fact that either I was seriously loony or I really had traveled to another world in my dreams the night before. Traveled to another world and crushed it, like a walking bomb. Everything I had done in my dream had turned out to be real. It wasn't possible. I had to be insane.

My agony didn't end when the school day did. I'd been desperate to get home and hide in my room to try to figure things out, but as it happened, my dad did notice that the book he'd taken away from me yesterday was mysteriously back in my possession and he was furious with me all over again. It got worse when I blurted out that Mom had given it back to me. He started yelling at her too and they got into a big fight. I felt sicker than ever when I realized how selfish I'd been, tricking my mom into giving me New Moon back when I should have known Dad would blame her. After he'd screamed himself hoarse, he made me get all three Twilight books and give them to him, and then he locked them in the trunk of his car. He also grounded me for the rest of the week. Mom was upset with me too and I couldn't fault her for it. It seemed like everything was turning to ash around me, like I couldn't touch anything without destroying it.

I didn't get to go to my room until after dinner. I had a brand new stack of homework to do, but it was impossible. I tried, sitting there at my desk with my pen in my hand, and my assignments in front of me, but after an hour I hadn't been able to do anything more than write my name. I gave up, shoving everything back in my book bag. I could blow off homework for one day...I'd just make it up tomorrow. Tomorrow had to be better.

I barely had the energy to change into my pajamas. My cell phone rang as I was crawling into bed, but I didn't answer. I knew it would be Michelle or Rae, checking up on me, but there was absolutely nothing I wanted to say.

As I lay there, staring up at the ceiling, I tried to think. If I wasn't crazy-if I really had changed everything in my dreams-then I must have the power to fix it. I had to believe that. And if my dreams were the key, then tonight I would have to make sure that I dreamt again, the right dream, the one that would allow me to make everything right again. Gritting my teeth in determination, I nodded to myself and then reached over, snapping off my bedside lamp. Then I settled back down on my pillow and stared into the darkness, waiting for sleep to claim me once more.

_**Wednesday Morning 3:12am**_

I looked at the clock and groaned loudly. This couldn't be happening. I had less than three hours until my alarm went off and I hadn't slept. Not for a second. My body was exhausted, but my mind...it just wouldn't stop working, filling me with dread, running horrific scenarios in my mind of the damage I could do if another dream went wrong. But I needed to dream! Why couldn't I just relax enough to let the darkness take me? Nothing was going to be OK again until I could correct what had gone so terribly awry. It wasn't just that my favorite story was screwed up. It was that I was starting to doubt my own sanity, that everything felt so strange and alien, like I was stuck in a world that looked like mine, with family and friends that looked like the ones I'd always had, and even a face that seemed to be my own, but none of it really was. Everything was just the tiniest bit different, the smallest bit off-kilter, making me feel constantly dizzy, like I was trying to walk sideways. I couldn't live like this. I really would lose my mind. I had to dream...it had to happen. I took a deep breath and then screwed my eyes tightly shut, swearing to myself I wouldn't open them again until my alarm went off.

_**Wednesday 6:05 am**_

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

I was lying sprawled on my stomach, my head buried under the pillow, when I slowly began to realize I was awake. I reached over drowsily to shut off my alarm clock and then suddenly memories of yesterday and then a wave of crushing disappointment slammed into me. I had tossed and turned all night...the last time I remembered checking the clock, it had been nearly five. Finally, I had fallen asleep, and I had a vague memory of a few disturbing images that had tormented me while I slept, but I hadn't had THE dream. The one that would put everything right, bring my world back into balance. It wasn't fair! Why did this have to happen to me?

I forced myself to my feet although the idea of facing another day in my now Edward Cullen-less world was such a painful one that I almost dived back under the covers.

Like I had the day before, I went to my window and opened it, looking out onto my yard below, and the street beyond it. It was just as brilliantly sunny as it had been then, but the rays brought me no peace today. The only thing that would have brought me the least bit of happiness was the sight of a flaming meteor in the sky, heading straight towards my house to put me out of my misery. Sighing, I closed the window, and turned to my closet. At least no matter how bad today was, it couldn't be nearly as bad as yesterday.

_**Wednesday 9:29pm**_

Once again, I'd been wrong. I was forced to reset my standards for what constituted a bad day, because today had been the worst ever. I had tried to resist, but I couldn't help asking Michelle for a blow by blow account of everything that had changed in New Moon and Eclipse. I wished I could wash my brain clean of the knowledge once she'd finally told me. For not only had I killed Edward and forced Bella into a half-hearted love affair with poor Jacob Black, who would only have a fragment of her heart no matter how much he loved her, but it turned out my swath of destruction extended much further than that. For Victoria had still been in Eclipse, and she had still wanted Bella dead. And without Edward there to protect Bella, Jacob had been forced to step into the role. Everything had changed. He'd defeated Victoria-barely-but she'd managed to cause Seth Clearwater's death first. Little Seth Clearwater, one of the youngest, most innocent werewolves. Dead. And that wasn't all. Sam had been the one to go to Leah's aid instead of Jacob when the last newborn vampire attacked her. He was dead too. At least the rest of the Cullens had made it through the battle but that was cold comfort at this point.

I swallowed hard, remembering. It felt like someone had punched me in the face when Michelle had told me. I knew they weren't real people but in my mind, and in millions of other people's, they had lived. And the worst part was knowing Stephenie Meyer had never intended it to happen this way. I was the one who had messed everything up. I wanted to just curl up in a ball and cry my eyes out, but I couldn't. Tonight I had to sleep, and dream. And tomorrow, everything would be better.

_**Thursday 6:19am**_

When I finally registered what the beeping sound in my ears meant, I sat up and immediately burst into tears. Another near sleepless night, tossing and turning until dawn, then a brief period of exhausted, dreamless slumber.__I had failed. Again. I was starting to think I'd never be able to go back. I was stuck in this miserable, guilt-ridden existence, completely helpless to do a damn thing about it.

_**Thursday 9:53pm**_

This was the worst possible torture. How could I take it anymore? It was another horrible day at school. I hadn't done any of my homework, I couldn't keep up in class, everything was falling apart. Michelle and Rae were mad at me because I barely talked to them the past few days. Winter Malone, an emo girl that I'd often butted heads with, laughed at my baggy jeans and unbrushed hair and I couldn't even think of a sarcastic comeback. When I got home, I forgot to heat the tuna noodle casserole Mom left in the fridge for dinner, and Dad extended my grounding for another week. Even my cat was avoiding me. Probably because I forgot to feed him two nights in a row. I had to dream tonight, but I didn't know if I could even stand to get my hopes up one more time.

_**Friday 7:04am**_

Beautiful. Not only did I not dream last night, I overslept and missed my bus. A fantastic start to what would surely be the awesomest day ever. Not.

_**Friday 10:23am**_

"Elisa?"

I stared at my paper, knowing I was supposed to be working the math problems on it, and yet not able to convince myself to care in the least. I doodled circles around the margins, too tired to even think anymore, which was a blessed relief at this point.

"Elisa Jensen!"

Jason Ackerman, who sat behind me, kicked my chair and I jolted upright with a start. "What?" I snapped, turning around to glare at him. He returned my gaze with a glare of his own.

"Mr. Bierman has been calling your name, dumbass." Jason bit off the words and then turned back to his own worksheet.

I gulped and then looked up at my teacher, a thin man with thinning black hair and horn rimmed glasses. He was sitting at his desk, staring at me with a look of frustration on his face. Seeing that he finally had my attention, he beckoned me forward impatiently.

"Yes, Mr. Bierman?" I walked up to his desk and stood next to him, my arms crossing my chest defensively. I was in for it now...I could tell just by the look on his face.

"Pull up a chair." Mr. Bierman sounded weary as he indicated a vacant desk nearby. I took the chair from it and dragged it back over, then sat down, waiting for him to speak.

"We have a serious problem, Elisa." Mr. Bierman sighed. "You've been struggling in math since the beginning of the year but at least you were making an effort. I don't know what's happened to you this week but it's like you just gave up. I haven't received a homework assignment from you since Tuesday and that one-" He pulled it out of the folder in front of him and frowned at it "-was unfortunately done incorrectly. Don't think I haven't noticed that you aren't doing your classwork either. What are we going to do about this?"

I stared at him blankly. Mr. Bierman took in my slackjawed expression for a full minute before he shook his head, anger beginning to creep into his expression. "I'm just trying to help you. You're barely at grade level when it comes to mathematics. Unless you catch up soon, not only are you going to fail this class but you're going to continually be behind through the rest of high school. You'll be starting college with a lot to make up. That's not your advantage, Elisa." He looked at me to see if he was getting through, and his jaw tightened as I just continued to sit there. "I think it's time to call your parents."

"No!" I cried, the vision of my father's furious face finally breaking through my apathy. "Mr. Bierman, please...I'll try harder."

Mr. Bierman hesitated for a moment. "Elisa, up until this week I do believe you were trying as hard as you could. It's not enough-you're just not getting it and I don't have the time to give you all the help you need. I don't want to call your parents to punish you but I think they need to be more involved. Perhaps take you in for an evaluation. Have you ever..." He hesitated for a moment, then rushed forward. "Have you ever considered the possibility that you have a learning disability?"

"What?!" I shrieked. Every head in the classroom whipped around to look at me. Mr. Bierman looked shocked. I should have stopped right there but I couldn't. It was all just too much. Everything had piled up to the point where I was breaking-I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up, shaking with fury.

"I do NOT have a learning disabilty! That's just your way of trying to say I'm stupid!" I yelled. Mr. Bierman stood up too, a hand stretched out to placate me, but I jerked away. Screaming at him didn't seem to be enough to express how upset I was. Before I could stop myself, I reached out and snatched a stapler off his desk, then turned and hurled it as hard as I could into the wall opposite me. The noise it made as it crashed into the plaster made all of us jump. Maybe that's what snapped me back to my senses and made me realize what I had done.

I stared around the classroom at the open mouths and stunned expressions of my classmates, then at Mr. Bierman's incredulous face, and I knew I was in trouble. BIG trouble.

**In the Office**

"So, Elisa..." The school guidance counselor, Mrs. Caldwell, looked up from the scrawled note Principal Mason had given her when he'd walked me into her office. She didn't finish her sentence for a moment, studying me. I was relieved to see no hint of anger or censure in her face, just curiousity.

After a moment of watching me, she adjusted her glasses and spoke again. "So you had a little incident in Mr. Bierman's class today. Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Um..." Refusing to speak wasn't going to help me any. "I...kinda screamed at him. And threw his stapler at the wall. It made a hole."

Mrs. Caldwell's lips twitched. For a moment it looked like she was fighting a smile. "I know that, Elisa. What I want to know is why you did it." She tapped her red tipped fingernails on her desk absently. "You know, I had actually planned to have a little talk with you today even before this happened. I've received notes from several of your teachers. Apparently you've been having a bad week. Is there something going on at home you want to talk about?"

I cleared my throat nervously. "Not really. I mean, everything's fine at home. Normal. I just...I guess I'm just stressed out."

Mrs. Caldwell raised an eyebrow. "Why?" she persisted.

'_Because I'm a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Either that, or I'm a literary serial killer-take your pick.' _Of course I didn't say that aloud. "Well, um..." I searched my mind for appropriate, not too alarming teenage drama. "Uh...I had a fight with my friends. And I haven't been sleeping well. Plus...I just really, really hate math. It's boring and I don't understand it."

"Hmm. Well, I can see how those things can be upsetting and I do understand from my conversation with Mr. Bierman that you've been having a tough time in his class. Are you having some kind of personality conflict with him? Do you think another teacher might be a bit more suitable for your needs?"

"Oh, no." I shook my head, hating the idea of Mr. Bierman getting a rep for being a mean teacher just because I was having an emotional aneurysm. "Mr. Bierman is actually really nice. I'm sorry I did what I did. It's not his fault at all-I just didn't handle things well."

"OK, then." Mrs. Caldwell leaned back. "You really don't have any kind of history that's leading me to be more concerned about this incident. I'm going to take you at your word...this was a bad week for you and you snapped. I'm going to schedule us some time together on Monday so we can come up with some strategies for handling stress that don't involve damaging school property. As for Mr. Bierman...well, I think an apology is in order. Perhaps a written one." She smiled at me but her tone let me know this wasn't a suggestion. "Does that all sound acceptable to you?"

I nodded, relieved that I wasn't in worse trouble. "Yes, thank you, Mrs. Caldwell."

There was a knock on the door and Mrs. Caldwell stood up to open the door. My heart sank into my shoes when I saw my mother standing there, her expression tighter and more worried than ever.

"Mrs. Jensen, nice to meet you." They shook hands and then my mother's gaze fastened on me.

"Elisa, what on earth is going on with you?" Her voice was ragged.

Mrs. Caldwell cleared her throat before I could answer. "Mrs. Jensen, if we could just talk privately for a few minutes and then you can go ahead and take Elisa home. I'll see that she's excused from the rest of her classes today." She turned to me. "Try to catch up on your rest, Elisa. I'll see you on Monday." She waved a hand at the door, indicating that I was to wait outside while they talked.

I didn't have to wait long. About ten minutes later Mom came out of the office, looking slightly less tense. I followed her outside to the car in silence.

Mom was quiet as well for the first few minutes of our drive home, although I caught her looking at me out of the corner of her eye more than once. Finally, she spoke.

"Mrs. Caldwell seems to think we should get you a math tutor. She thinks that will make things a lot easier on you and on Mr. Bierman." She smiled tightly. "What do you think?"

"Um..." As long as she wasn't yelling, I'd agree to anything at this point. "Sounds good."

Mom gave me another look. "She also said you told her you were having problems with your friends and you haven't been sleeping. Why didn't you tell me any of that?"

I looked up at her. Her face was genuinely hurt and I felt lousy. Like I needed another thing to feel guilty about. "I...don't know. It's just...you're always busy." I mumbled.

Mom looked even more upset, almost like she was going to cry. "Elisa, I'm so sorry. I know things have been crazy at work and I haven't been there for you."

Listening to her blame herself when everything was so clearly my fault pushed me over the edge. I burst into tears. "Mom, it's not you." I sobbed. "It's me. I'm just messed up. I'm a rotten, evil person. I do horrible things. I wrecked everything and I don't know how to fix it."

"Elisa Anne Jensen!" Mom looked shocked. "Why would you say that? You're not a horrible person!"

I was crying too hard to answer her and after a moment she let out a long breath. "It's your father, isn't it? Honey, I know he's hard on you. It must be tough for you to believe, but he really does think he's trying to help you. It's just difficult for him to understand you. You're both so very different." She bit her lip. "I'll talk to him. Ask him to ease up a bit."

"No, Mom." I sniffed and wiped my eyes. "Don't. I don't want you guys fighting again because of me. It's...this is nothing to do with either of you. It's me...it's all me." We were pulling into our driveway now and I took a breath, forcing myself to sound calmer. "I'm fine, Mom. Really. I just need to figure some things out. I'm going to go upstairs and lie down, OK?" I jumped out of the car before she could answer, beating her to the front door, then racing inside and upstairs to my room as soon as she let us in the house.

**Later That Evening**

My hopes for avoiding more trouble between my parents were shortlived. Principal Mason had called Dad at work too, and he must have had all day to stew about it because when he came home he was practically breathing fire. Mom tried to calm him down but it was no use. He called me a histrionic drama queen, and when I started crying he got so mad he was actually rendered speechless for a few minutes. When Mom told him what Mrs. Caldwell said about getting me a math tutor his head nearly blew off and he screamed that he wasn't going to pay for someone to teach me what I could learn perfectly well at school if I'd stop daydreaming and paid attention to the teacher for once. Mom had had enough at that point and started yelling back at him.

Colby and I crept into the TV room and shut the door while they went at it. Colby was crying, something he rarely did, unlike me. I felt even worse than I had all week. I put on a Harry Potter dvd and turned the volume up really loud, trying to distract him and drown out the voices from the living room. I thought maybe he'd blame me for causing our family so much trouble, but he just huddled next to me, wiping his damp eyes and pretending to watch the movie, just like I was.

Eventually, the yelling stopped and Mom called us all in for dinner. She had ordered pizza. I couldn't help but notice how angry she and Dad both still looked, although they seemed to be making a big effort to be polite to each other.

Eating together was miserable. We just all sat around the table and nibbled at our slices, barely talking. I couldn't wait to escape to my room, which I did as soon as it was reasonably polite to do so. Dad didn't say anything when I left the table, not even goodnight.

As I got into bed, I didn't even allow myself to think that tonight might be the night where I could put everything back together, where I'd finally right all that I'd done wrong. Who was I kidding? I couldn't fix anything. Not my real world and certainly not someone else's imaginary one. It was over. I was giving up. It

I lay on my pillow and stared up, memorizing all the cracks in the ceiling until my eyes became too full of tears to see them anymore. Slowly, I lost all awareness of everything around me and faded gratefully into the waiting black.

The loud cacophany of voices woke me up out of the first peaceful rest I'd had in days. It was hard to believe it was morning already-I felt like I'd just closed my eyes. Colby must have woken up early and was watching TV with the volume turned up. Didn't he realize Saturdays were for sleeping in? Annoyed, I tried to turn over, reaching for my pillow to put over my head and block out the noise, but instead I swayed dangerously and nearly fell. Gasping, I grabbed for the nearest thing that would keep me upright and was shocked to find my hands closed around a rubber railing. One that was sliding under my fingers as I rode upwards. I looked around wildly and my heart nearly stopped. My disbelieving eyes slowly accepted the fact that once again, I was somewhere completely different then I'd expected. Shocked, I looked at the person nearest to me and excitement leapt in me as I realized it was the exact same man that had been in front of me the first time I'd had this dream, turning to stare at me with the same bemused expression.

"Hey, watch it!" An annoyed female voice barked in my ear and I realized too late that I was leaning into the woman standing behind me. I yanked myself away from her and desperately tried to get my bearings as I felt myself rising higher and higher on the escalator.

I couldn't believe it. It was just like it was before. Unless I was having the most vivid 3D daydream I'd ever had, I was back at La Guardia Airport. Somehow, someway, just when everything had seemed completely hopeless, I'd been given another chance.

TBC

In chapter three, Elisa struggles to return everything she changed back to normal, but even if she succeeds, is the world of Twilight finished with her? Or is she about to find herself more entrenched in it than she had ever imagined?


	3. Chapter 3

**I was planning on waiting to upload this, not wanting to overwhelm anyone with too many chapters at once, but I couldn't resist.**

**A huge thank you to everyone who has commented and/or favorited...knowing that you enjoy this story is making it so much fun to write. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well-it's a bit shorter but was the most fun to write by far! Please don't forget to leave comments or constructive criticism-it's extremely motivating and very much appreciated. : )**

**Usual Disclaimer: **_** Twilight and all of its characters are the creation and property of author Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Extraordinary: Chapter Three**

Happiness exploded inside of me, along with the most complete sense of relief. I was back! I was at La Guardia Airport, where it had all begun. It had to be the second chance I was praying for, I had to set everything right. Edward had to live this time-he just had to.

Although I could see quite clearly for myself that everything was the same as it had been before, I couldn't resist turning to peer down the escalator past the bushy haired redhead in my way. Were they there? They had to be...

My heart gave such a huge leap I was surprised it didn't come flying out of my throat when I saw them, just like I remembered. Alice, her hair short and disarrayed, face grim, looking absorbed in her own thoughts as we rode upwards. And Bella, long hair hanging carelessly over her shoulders, pale and wan, looking so sad and scared that I could have cried right there for her, was standing next to her, staring over the railing at nothing at all.

A sudden wave of dizziness washed over me and I swayed once more, feeling a jolt of fear that reminded me that I didn't like escalators any better than I had before. Determinedly, I turned back and gripped the railing as hard as I could. I wouldn't panic this time. I wouldn't wreck everything. Because the very best thing I could do, the only thing I _had_ to do to make sure that Alice and Bella got on that plane to Florence was...nothing. Absolutely nothing. As long as I didn't interfere, everything would be fine.

It was only about a minute ride on the escalator but it seemed to take an eternity and apparently, I wasn't the only person who felt that way. Behind me, I could hear aggravated grunts and hissed comments as people were jostled out of the way. I couldn't resist turning again to see Bella and Alice squeezing past the woman between us, not content with the speed at which we were moving. Bella was murmuring apologies but her face was determined. I flattened myself against the railing even though it made me feel like I was going to plumment right over the side to make room for them to pass me. They moved past without even a glance in my direction.

"Hey!" The man in front of me snapped as they reached him. "Hold your horses! You're not the only people with places to go!" With a surly expression he swung his large duffel bag into the small space next to him, blocking their passage. Anger suddenly surged inside of me and before I could think it through, I leapt forward, pushing him to the side.

"Move!" I snapped. The man looked shocked and infuriated but I didn't care. Maybe a little interference wasn't such a bad thing after all. I saw Bella shoot me a startled look and then she and Alice dashed up the last remaining steps to the top of the escalator and disappeared.

I couldn't help myself. As they moved out of my line of vision, my legs reacted before my mind could and I was tearing after them, ignoring the swearing of the man I'd pushed. I just had to see for myself that they were going to make it. I barely registered the relief I felt as I reached the top and jumped off the escalator. I could see them far ahead of me, running through the crowd, stopping only briefly at a turnstiled gate manned by several uniformed agents. I saw Alice wave what was probably their tickets in front of his face impatiently and then they were off and running again.

The P.A. system suddenly crackled to life. "This is the final boarding call for Flight 1431 from New York to Florence, Italy. Repeat, the final boarding call for Flight 1431 from New York to Florence, Italy."

A new, and much stronger surge of relief hit me, and I almost stopped running, I was so distracted by it. Last time I'd been here, Alice and Bella were still downstairs at this point thanks to me and my extreme spaz attack. They were going to make it. I knew this so strongly that I felt tears well up in my eyes. In just a few hours, Bella and Edward would be together again. Everything was going to be alright. The only thing that could have possibly made me happier was if I could have been in Italy to see their reunion with my own eyes.

"Ticket!" A man barked at me. I blinked, realizing I was at the turnstile. The airline agent was staring at me impatiently.

"Oh, um..." I took a step backwards. "I don't actually have a-"

"No unticketed persons beyond this point!" He snapped, looking at me like I was an imbecile.

"Sure." I took another step back. "Sorry, um...I just went the wrong way." I turned and went back the way I'd come, enduring the scary escalator ride back down to the lower level with gritted teeth. I didn't really understand why I was still there at this point. Alice and Bella's place must have left by now, and there was nothing left for me to do. Bored, I began to wander down the huge, carpeted corridor, absently watching passengers rush by and looking at the stores and souvenir stands that lined either side of the terminal, hoping I was going to wake up soon. Nobody paid any attention to me, which was a definite good thing considering last time I'd been here I'd almost been hogtied and carted off to the mental ward by security.

Vaguely, I registered the fact that I wasn't wandering around in my pajamas, which definitely would have attracted unwanted attention. Instead, I was dressed in one of my favorite outfits, my most comfortable yet still nice looking jeans and an emerald colored knit top that everyone said really brought out the green of my eyes. Funny enough, I could have sworn I'd had to throw this same top away a couple of weeks ago after I'd spilled bleach on it. I stopped to ponder this for a minute, craning my neck to see if I could see any stains on it. Nope, good as new. Interesting. If I could conjure up my favorite clothes in my dreams, maybe I could do other stuff. Like conjure up a few bucks so I could go get a soda and a magazine. I wasn't actually hungry or thirsty at all but it would help kill the time until I woke up again. I closed my eyes and concentrated hard, then opened them and dug into my pockets hopefully. They were empty. Darn it.

As I stood there I suddenly realized I wasn't invisible anymore. A man walking past me looked at me absently, then suddenly froze and stopped, staring at me, his eyes wide. Nervously, I looked away, wondering what had caught his attention and I saw more passengers stopping, their heads turned in my direction, eyes popping and fingers pointing.

"What the hell?!" I thought I heard someone say but everything was getting dimmer and it was hard to see or hear anything, like I was surrounded by a soft white haze. What was it about me that they were all staring at? I looked down at myself apprehensively and was completely stunned when I caught sight of my hands. I could see through them to the red flooring below...they were transparent. I was fading away...disappearing before my own eyes and apparently everyone else's too. And then I was gone.

**Home Again**

Dimly, I was aware of how warm and comfortable I was, back in my soft bed. Gentle hands were tucking the blankets in around me, and then smoothing the hair off my forehead.

"Mom?" I mumbled, still mostly asleep.

She leaned down to kiss me lightly on the top of my head. "Just checking. Go back to sleep." I heard a snap and then my bedside light clicked off.

Before the words were even finished, I already had.

**Back to Black**

It was dark where I was, and I didn't like it. I tried to open my eyes, hoping the shadows would be vanquished, but it didn't happen. It took me a minute to realize my eyes were already open. I shifted nervously, my arms wrapped around myself in trepidation as I tried to figure out where I'd ended up this time. I looked around, searching anxiously for some familiar landmark.

It seemed that I was outside, but where exactly, I had absolutely no idea. Underneath my feet was cobblestoned pavement. I was able to make that detail out because as my eyes adjusted to the gloom I could see that it wasn't as dark as I had thought. In fact, far far overhead the sun shone brightly in a perfect blue sky, but the high reaching, ancient looking bricked walls on either side of me blocked most of it out. I was in some kind of narrow passageway or alley as far as I could tell, and I was completely alone. My earlier euphoria was completely gone, to be replaced with a gnawing fear that had the distinct possibility of turning into all out screaming terror. This dream-for it had to be a dream-was just as vivid and 3D as my airport vision, but it had definite nightmare overtones. It was the perfect setting for a horror movie style event, like the dead end alley some beautiful but empy headed girl would run screaming into before the serial killer who was chasing her caught her and cut her into pieces. I could my breathing quicken, along with my heart. I had to get out of here before something awful happened.

A few feet in front of me it _was _a dead end, another brick wall staring me directly in the face. That only left one way to go. I turned and followed the passageway, which was climbing just slightly upwards. I walked at my normal pace at first, but as panic really began to set it, I moved faster and faster until I was nearly running. Where was I? And just how was I going to get out of here?

The passageway was slowly curving around, leading to who knew where. I slowed down a little, but there was really no other choice but to follow it. I certainly wasn't going to stand around waiting for whatever monsters lurked in the darkness to come and get me. My pace quickened once more.

As I progressed through the dark corridor, I gradually became aware that I could hear distant voices...cheery, happy sounding voices chatting or calling out words I couldn't quite understand, laughter, and even an occasional blast of singing. I could feel the tension began to leave me. This didn't sound like it was such a horrible place after all. And the further I got along the pathway, the closer the voices sounded. I was almost to safety...it couldn't be that much further.

Then, as I completely rounded the corner and saw what was ahead of me, I stopped, riveted into place. I couldn't move another step. I didn't even know if I could remember how to breathe.

Not more than twenty feet ahead I could see where the alley ended, opening onto a vast bright and cheery sunshine filled square, and beyond that I caught glimpses of red-clad people moving past, their voices and laughter filling the air with the sounds of celebration. But of far greater importance than that was what-or should I say _who_-was standing between me and the crowds of people.

His back was to me, facing out into the square, and I shouldn't have been able to see him clearly at all but his perfect white skin gave off such a glow that it seemed to create a halo of light around him, illuminating every detail, from the off white shirt he was wearing, looking comparatively dark next to his alabaster skin, to the untidy auburn hair on his head.

Everything clicked together, like I'd found the last piece of a complicated puzzle. I was in Italy. It was St. Marcus Day.

And I was looking directly at Edward Cullen.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

_**I'm sorry that this is another short chapter-I'm limited on time right now but I'm having so much fun writing this I want to at least be able to get something out, even if it's a little at a time. Chapter Five will most likely be much longer.**_

_**I'm actually very pleased with how this came out...Elisa has somehow made it to Italy in time to see Bella and Edward unite but there's a snag...a big one. Please, please, please let me know if you're enjoying this or have any suggestions for me-it is so inspiring for me to hear readers' comments. Enjoy!**_

_**And you know this one, but here it is anyway: Twilight: not mine. Twilight's characters: not mine. Twilight's storyline: not mine. All belong to Stephenie Meyer-I have just borrowed them for the duration. Thanks!**_

_**Extraordinary: Chapter Four**_

There was simply nothing that could have prepared me for this. I didn't even have words to try and describe the waves of emotion that were flooding through me. It was just so amazing, so unbelievable...somehow I'd done it. I'd wished that I could be in Italy to see Edward and Bella's reunion for myself and now I was here. And_ Edward_-I could barely think his name without a rush of excitement so strong that it nearly knocked me down-was just feet away from me.

I guess it was a good thing I was behind him, because the view of his radiant figure from the back alone was nearly overwhelming. I was pretty sure that if he turned around I would a) scream b)faint or c) scream **and** faint with an option of experiencing permanent heart failure.

As my eyes toured him over and over again, my heart did nearly stop as I saw he was moving. He moved his arms and I thought he was adjusting something at his neck for a moment, then his hands crossed his chest and reached his sides, his fingers clutching at the fabric of his shirt and I think I stopped breathing when I realized what was about to happen. My eyes were screaming for moisture because I hadn't blinked in so long but I didn't care if I went blind later on as punishment-I wasn't going to miss a second of this. I still couldn't register how insanely lucky I was-Edward Cullen was alive, I was in back in his world, and he was_ taking off his shirt_. I could have died completely happy there on the spot.

The fabric hit the ground at his feet with a near soundless swish and I swayed on my feet. The glow from his bare skin reflected of the wall, making the halo of light surrounding him even stronger than before. I stared, mouth gaping, completely devoid of rational thought. I just wanted to stay there forever, watching him. I could not imagine ever needing anything more from life.

Somewhere, in the distance, a clock tolled, the sound of the bell so loud I almost cried out. I nearly jumped out of my shoes and gasped, my heart thudding in my chest. Then I stared at him apprehensively. I was not being quiet at all, and I was surprised that he hadn't turned on me and demanded an explanation for my presence that I was in no shape to give. But he made no sign of realizing that he wasn't alone. Of course. I was awakened from my drooling stupor now at the memory of what that bell toll meant, and why he had taken off his shirt in the first place. He was in agony right now, in a place of utter blackness and despair. He was about to walk out into the sun, sacrificing his life, because he thought Bella was dead. My heart was thudding now for an entirely different reason, and I flinched as the bell overhead tolled again. He moved again, taking a slow, deliberate step towards the bright, sunny square that was only a foot or so away from him and I took an involuntary step forward as well, my hands raised in a futile gesture.

I had to force myself to stop, and it was the hardest thing I'd ever done. I wasn't supposed to be there. It was Bella's place to save him. She was the only one who could. I'd fixed things at the airport-I hadn't gotten in the way of Bella and Alice getting on the plane and she had to be here. Any minute, she was going to come running at him and everything would play out exactly as it was supposed to. I could not interfere. Sternly, I repeated that in my head over and over. _Do not interfere. Do not interfere. Do not_-

The bell tolled again and he took another step. He was almost there, almost into the light, just one or two steps more would bring him into the sun, and panic was starting to squeeze my chest tighter and tighter. Where was Bella?! Why hadn't she come yet? Edward was going to die, right in front of me, and she wasn't here! What was happening? Had I somehow, through some tiny gesture, inadvertently changed everything _again_? It couldn't be! She had to be here, but where?

Edward took another step as the bell tolled again and I couldn't stop myself. I stumbled forward. "Edward-don't!" I choked out. Dammit. So much for not interfering.

He whipped around to face me so fast that I didn't actually see the movement. One moment he was facing out towards the square and the next his eyes, so dark that I couldn't discern any particular color, were fixed on me. I forgot what I was going to say. I forgot everything. I am certain if you'd asked me my name at that moment I would not have been able to tell you.

He was absolutely flawless. I'd imagined him a hundred, no, a thousand times, and I'd always thought I'd had a really good imagination but I had sold him short by miles. Bella had not exaggerated in the least when she'd compared him to angels. There wasn't an ordinary feature on him...how _did_ he get away with pretending to be human?

I probably would have stood there for eternity, just drooling on my shoes, but the look on his face was not friendly, and that was enough to break through my daze. I moistened my lips, knowing I had to say something, but nothing was coming to mind at all.

His lip curled slightly as he looked at me without the least bit of interest, and he made a deliberate show of sniffing the air, then frowned even more deeply at me. "I see the Volturi is making a habit of recruiting them younger and younger these days." he said, more to himself than me. His voice, even lined with disgust, was absolutely beautiful.

"What?" I said, startled out of my speechlessness. "I'm not with the Volturi!"

I think his face would have expressed disbelief but it was clear he could not bring himself to care in the least what I was or what I was doing there. My heart clenched at the pain written so clearly all over his perfect face. He shook his head as if something annoying was fluttering around it, then scowled at me.

"I don't care who you are. Stay out of my way. I'm not adverse to taking anyone with me." With that, he turned back towards the square, having already forgotten my existence.

The clock had tolled while we were speaking, and now it sounded again. Tears flooded my eyes and began to trickle slowly down my face. I was completely helpless. There was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent him from being destroyed. If his own family couldn't get him to change his mind, someone with no more significance to him then a bug underneath his shoe had no chance at all. This was worse than anything I'd experienced in this last hellish week-this was pure misery, having to stand here and watch this.

The bell tolled again. One more step and it would be over. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, tears leaking out from beneath the closed lids.

Almost immediately, my eyes flew open again when I heard it. Far away, almost lost in the babble of the crowd, but it was there, a faint scream. _"No! Edward, look at me!"_

_Bella!_ My heart gave a huge leap of joy, and then she was there, running into view and then smacking into him with a noise like she'd just run into a brick wall. I flinched-that had to hurt. But clearly, she couldn't have cared in the least. The way she was looking at him-I could have melted into my shoes seeing the love and relief on her face. I swallowed hard, repressing tears of happiness for once, and stepped backwards into the shadows. This was their time and I felt like I was spying on something immensely private. The last thing I wanted was to come between them anymore.

I moved back as far as I could while still being able to see. I was still wary of the darkness and not only were my eyes riveted to the entwined figures now much further away from me, but I wanted to keep the sunshine filled square within viewing distance too. As soon as they were gone, I'd make my way there, and wait in relative safety to wake up once more.

I thought this was a pretty good plan, but I suppose I was so distracted by seeing Bella and Edward together again, so deeply entrenched in watching their every movement, that I didn't stop to think about what a vulnerable position I was in. Nor did I take a second to remember _why_ I was so fearful of the darkness at my back or even to recall that the monsters were most definitely real in this world. No, none of this occurred at all to my befuddled, dazed brain as I stood there like the world's biggest sap, dabbing at my wet eyes and thinking of nothing more than how wonderful it was that Bella had found Edward, and how extraordinary that I'd had a part, tiny though it was, in their reunion.

The voice, flat and weary, was like an icy splash of water, dousing my euphoria when it came out of the shadows.

"Well, well. What exactly do we have here?"

I whirled around and suddenly knew that while all was right for Edward and Bella, I was inescapably trapped in my worst nightmare.

Jane of the Volturi was standing behind me.

**To Be Continued...**

Don't forget to let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Welcome to chapter five of Extraordinary! This chapter is still not as long as I'd intended it to be, but if I am going to keep on releasing daily chapters I have to stop writing at some point. :D I really hope that you like this one, and again, a big thank you to all who have commented so far. Please let me know what you think-your thoughts are so important to me.**

**Disclaimer: Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse: not mine. Twilight's characters: not mine (although Elisa and everyone in her world are my invention.) Twilight's storylines: not mine. Stephenie Meyer's talent, success, and money: **_**SO**_** not mine. I wish!**

**Enjoy!**

_**Extraordinary: Chapter Five**_

I thought I had known fear before, but it was nothing compared to the sensation that gripped me as I looked down at the small, gray-clad figure next to me. Jane stared back, her face completely expressionless except for the tiniest of furrows between her eyes. Except for the short hair, she looked like an exquisitely carved porcelain doll come to life, every feature just as perfect and just as cold as if they really had been formed from glass.

I gave another gasp of fear as two more figures appeared out of the shadows, flanking her. Of course-Demetri and Felix. My luck was just getting better and better. I could do no more than give a small, terrified squeak as three pairs of deep red eyes surveyed me. My knees were shaking, actually clanking together and tremors rocked my entire body as I waited to see what they would do.

Jane's eyes drifted from me to the alley entrance and the distant figures silhouetted there. She inclined her head towards Bella and Edward.

"Get them. I'll take care of...this." Her gaze returned to me and I swallowed hard.

With a graceful swish they were off and Jane and I were left standing there, staring at each other.

The silence seemed to stretch into forever but in reality, couldn't have been more than a second before her child-like voice broke it.

"I suppose I'll have to take you down into the tunnels before I kill you." She was musing, more to herself than me. "I wouldn't want to leave a mess out in public."

"But...but-" It was so hard to speak with my mouth as dry as it was. "I thought humans were safe in Volterra!"

Her eyebrows raised, the most expressive gesture she had made so far, and I suddenly realized that I had just given away the fact that I knew way more than any human was allowed to get away with under the Volturi reign. I was _such_ an idiot.

"Quite obviously, you've seen too much. And you don't smell human." Her gaze was mildly curious and she sniffed lightly. "In fact, you don't smell at all. Odd." She stopped for a moment as if concentrating on something then smiled slightly. "But your heart is beating. For now." The look on her angelic face was so sinister with those words that I almost thought I might wet my pants.

I searched wildly for some brilliant argument on why I should be allowed to live but my mind was completely blank. I was sorry I'd ever wished myself here-even sorry that I'd ever heard of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. It didn't matter anymore that this was just a dream. It looked real and it felt real and I had a horrifying suspicion that if I died right now, it might be real too, like in those old Nightmare on Elm Street movies.

"Come, little girl. Let's finish this." Jane gestured for me to follow her back into the darkness, as if I would willingly skip off with her to my bloody screaming death. For some reason, this assumption and her patronizing words temporarily extinguished my fear and sparked my temper, which was probably the stupidest response to the situation imaginable.

"Just who do you think _you're_ calling little girl, munchkin princess?" I snapped, glowering down at her tiny frame. The resulting fury in her face brought me back to near screaming terror in less than a heartbeat. Forget idiot...I was easily the biggest cretin in all of existence.

As I stared in dread at her perfect face, the anger washed away as quickly as it had come and her features began to transform. Her eyes sparkled and widened happily as a slow, angelic smile began to curve her lips, and I could feel the pain coming before it even reached me. It was like a wave of spiky heat rushing off of her and in my direction and I knew without a doubt as I cringed back that there was no way I could withstand the torture. In an instant, I would be on the ground-

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

I sat up in my bed, gasping for breath. It took several long seconds before I was able to calm down enough to register my cream colored walls, the light pink comforter over my legs, the sunshine streaming through the window. Jane couldn't hurt me here. I was home, safe.

The beeping was coming from my alarm clock, which I must have forgotten to unset for the weekend. A huge rush of gratitude and elation hit me as I reached for it, and I actually leaned over and kissed its flat surface gratefully. Never again would I take its harsh electronic voice for granted-no, the braying morning wake up call would forever more be the sound of my salvation.

I shut off the alarm and then stopped in surprise as my fingers bumped the two books next to it on the nightstand. Twilight and Eclipse stared up at me, their familiar covers both unsettling and reassuring. Hadn't my dad taken them away? I reached for them and then pulled my hand away, unsure of my actions. Hesitantly, I threw off the blanket covering me and stepped out of bed, gasping as my foot came down on something hard. Bending over, I saw I had stepped on my copy of New Moon, which was lying on the floor half under my bed.

Another wave of intoxicating giddiness swept through me as I realized what this could mean. If I had fixed everything, really fixed it, then life would have gone back to normal. I still had the books because my dad hadn't taken them-the last four nightmarish days never would have happened. Could it be? There was only one way to find out. My hands were shaking as I picked up New Moon, then hopped back on my bed, opened it to the last few chapters, and began to scan them hopefully.

Relief pounded through me as I read the familiar words, then read them again and again to reassure myself. I really had done it. Not a word was out of place-everything had happened exactly as it should. Bella and Edward had reunited in Italy, escaped the Volturi, and gone home to Forks. A wide smile across my face, I tossed it aside and picked up Eclipse, scanning that as well for any differences I might have inadvertently set in place. There was nothing-no deviations from the original story whatsoever.

I felt completely energized, exultant, as I jumped out of bed once more and ran over to the window to throw open my curtains, letting even more of the sunlight illuminate my bedroom, reflecting the pure happiness I felt. Memories of last night rushed back to me as I stood there, staring out at the street below. I skipped past the scary Jane parts to remember what had come before, seeing Edward there in the alley and how I had felt. I relived every moment in my mind, over and over again. Edward Cullen had actually spoken to me. To _me_. I'd seen Bella and Alice with my own eyes. For a few brief moments, I had been a part of their lives...a tiny, insignificant part that they would never recall, but still.

I spun around on the spot, unable to contain the emotions inside of me any longer. "YES!" I cried out loud, throwing my hands up in the air. "I did it! I really did it! I saved Edward!" I began to dance around the room. "I saved Edward! I saved Edward! I saved Edward!" Everything was perfect. Absolutely per-

My bedroom door banged open and I nearly had a heart attack. I whipped around to see my father standing there, his face reddened with anger.

"Elisa, dammit, do you have any idea what time it is?" He hissed.

I looked at the clock and 6:33 blinked back at me.

"Um...early?" I bit my lip.

"Damn right it's early!" I could see he was trying hard not to shout, but his voice was fierce. "Your mother and I work hard all through the week and we need our rest on the weekends. It is beyond inconsiderate of you to make this kind of racket. Don't you ever think about anyone but yourself?"

I swallowed hard. "Sorry, Dad." I whispered. "I'll be quiet."

"You'd better be!" With that, he turned and stomped back down the hallway towards the master bedroom. I sighed as I watched him go, a bit of my good mood fading. OK, so things weren't perfect. Then again, they were way better than they could have been. My heart lightened considerably as I recalled the misery of the last few days. None of that would have happened now. I didn't throw a stapler in Mr. Bierman's class or blow off all my homework, Mom and Dad didn't fight because of me, I hadn't ruined my friendship with Michelle and Rae, I didn't have a nervous breakdown in front of Vanessa...well, in theory these things were true. In actuality, I couldn't be sure. Everything had changed again and _anything_ could have happened these last few days-I had no memory of this reality at all, only of the other one I'd been trapped in.

I killed time the next few hours cleaning and reorganizing my room and bathroom, trying to be as quiet as possible. I really wanted to call my friends and make sure my life hadn't completely derailed without my knowledge, but I had to wait until it was late enough to not be unforgivably rude. I also took the time to sneak downstairs and return the copy of New Moon to the top of my father's bookshelf. The last memories I had that I could be sure of were of the night he had taken it away from me after I'd burned dinner, and I didn't want to risk setting him off again.

I finally was able to call Rae and Michelle, using three-way calling so I could subtly interrogate them both at once, and it was an enormous relief to find that everything seemed completely normal between us. I tried to be as careful as possible with the questions I asked about our week, not wanting to alert them to the blackhole that was my mind, and neither one of them seemed to catch on that there was anything out of the ordinary. It seemed like I'd had a pretty typical week from what they said, and apparently I'd 'killed' at the cheerleading tryouts. I wouldn't find out if I'd made the squad until next week, but Rae seemed to think my chances were pretty good. Michelle seemed a bit down at that-apparently she hadn't done as well. Rae was a shoe-in, of course...not only was she as graceful and flexible as an Olympic gymnast but she'd purposefully made friends with almost every senior member of the squad, with the exception of the elusive Vanessa.

Both of them had plans with family for the rest of the day, so we arranged to meet up on Sunday. I was a little disappointed-I felt like I was brimming with positive energy and I really wanted to go out and have some fun. Instead, I wandered downstairs and put it to good use, offering to help Mom with lunch and chores. I cleaned up after we ate without being asked, vacuumed the living room, helped Colby with his English assignments, and then checked my own bookbag for any weekend homework I'd been assigned and did that as well. Mom was thoroughly impressed by my clear high spirits and extra helpfulness, and even Dad couldn't seem to find any fault with my behavior. I caught him eyeing me oddly once or twice but mostly he ignored me, which was way better than the typical yelling. After he and Colby had left for football practice, I went back into the kitchen to help Mom with dinner. She was so pleased I had a feeling I could have asked her for my own credit card at that point and she would have said yes, but I felt that would be taking unfair advantage so I kept my mouth shut.

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. Dad and Colby came home and we all ate dinner together, talking companionably. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Afterwards we went in the living room and watched a movie. I didn't really pay attention to what it was about. There was just too much on my mind, but still, it was nice that the four of us could do something together.

The best part of the evening came when I got up to go to bed. It wasn't that late, but I just didn't feel like being downstairs anymore. I wanted some alone time to process everything that had happened. As I moved past my father on the couch, he suddenly got up, walked over to the bookshelf, got my book down and then pressed it into my hands.

"Here." His voice was gruff. "Just don't read it when you've got something in the oven."

"Thanks, Dad." My voice was high-pitched with surprise. I smiled at him and he smiled faintly back, then went back and sat down next to Colby.

Once upstairs in my bedroom, I turned and shut the door, then turned back and looked at my bed, feeling a thrill of anticipation go through me. The memory of the terror I'd experienced in Italy at Jane's hands had dulled a bit during my completely ordinary day, and now as I thought about what could possibly happen tonight in my sleep I was excited, almost eager. Where would I go next? To Forks, to see Bella and Edward's first weeks together? To the forest, to witness the unheard of alliance between vampires and werewolves as they battled Victoria and her army of rabid newborns? To La Push, to watch Jacob Black fall in love with the one girl he could never have?

I pondered that for a moment, smiling, and then another thought occurred to me. My smile wavered and died and my hands, still clutching New Moon, began to shake. What was wrong with me? I was thinking about Twilight and all of its characters like they were real people, as if I could actually interact with them, as if I belonged in their world. What was I thinking? I couldn't go back again-I'd nearly decimated everything for good. Not only had I ruined their fictional lives, I'd put my own real life in the gutter because of my crazy Twilight dreams. And speaking of crazy, how could I be sure that any of this had really happened? Maybe I was actually losing my mind, believing for an instant that any of this was real. Maybe none of it had ever happened at all. Maybe I was obsessed, deranged, delusional.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized what I had to do. There were two possibilities-one, the first that I had really somehow traveled to an alternate universe through my dreams, one where fictional characters actually lived and somehow could reach out and affect this reality as well. The second possibility was far more likely-I'd had some kind of mental meltdown without even realizing it and imagined everything. Either way... I sighed and caressed the smooth cover of New Moon sadly. I had to give it up. All of it. I could not afford to get lost in Twilight anymore. It was taking over my life and I couldn't allow that. Nor could I take the risk, as near impossible as it was to believe, that it _had_ happened, because if that was true, then I could hurt them all over again, Bella and Edward and who knew who else, without ever meaning to.

I couldn't sleep tonight. I couldn't afford to dream. I had to grow up now, get my head out of the clouds, just like Dad was always telling me. Having the imagination that I had, the desire and ability to lose myself in daydreams 24/7, suddenly seemed a frightening tendency, and one I had to quash. Quickly. I walked to my closet and opened the door, flipping on the light so I could see the small space better. Against the wall was an old trunk my mother had given me years ago. I used it to store things I thought I might want to keep for when I was older, like my middle school graduation cap and gown, pictures of my friends, letters and gifts from my one and only boyfriend (who'd turned out to be a total jerk, but still). It was to this trunk that I went, opening it and then clearing a space at the bottom. With a heavy heart, I turned back and gathered up all three Twilight books, then deposited them in the bottom. Everything that I had pushed out of the way to make room for them I now stacked on top of the books until I couldn't see even the tiniest glimpse of them anymore. Then I shut and locked the trunk, pushed it back against the wall, turned off the light and closed the door. I wiped my eyes, irritated that I was crying. _It's not real. It's just a story. _I told myself firmly. _ Get over it already. _

That done, I turned to my window. The curtains were still pushed to the side the way I'd left them that morning and I had a clear view of the velvety black sky, a few far away stars twinkling here and there. My eyes were drawn upwards and I drew in my breath at the sight of a stunningly beautiful, incandescent full moon, shining down on me. The sight filled me with both awe and melancholy. I turned and with a sweeping motion cleared everything off my desk, then I climbed on it, sitting up, pulling up my legs and hugging my knees, keeping my window in sight the whole time.

My eyes were still fastened on the moon, almost hypnotized, and I settled back to wait for dawn.

To Be Continued

_**In the next chapter, Elisa struggles to leave everything that's happened to her behind, but a tragic accident could propel her back into the world of Twilight-and this time, she'll be the one whose life hangs in the balance.**_

_**I look forward to your feedback, questions, or constructive criticism!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Extraordinary: Chapter Six**_

_**In this chapter, a kind stranger gives Elisa reason to think her dreams may not be as imaginary as she thought...but what happens next will change everything. Comments and feedback are always very much appreciated!**_

_**Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series and all associated characters and storylines do not belong to me.**_

It was not an easy night. The seconds ticked by, slowly became minutes, and then grew into hours as I sat on my desk, staring out my window. I tried to think of nothing else but the moon that had me so transfixed but it was so hard...so much harder than I'd ever imagined. There had never been a time, at least that I could recall, where I couldn't retreat into the place that existed between reality and beyond, the netherworld where dreams existed. Now I didn't have that refuge anymore and I felt like I had lost a part of me, like I'd been hollowed out.

I don't know how long I sat there before my eyelids started to close on their own and it sunk in just how exhausted I was. Everything that had happened over the past few days had seeped every last bit of energy from me and I wanted nothing more then to crawl into my warm bed and sleep. I couldn't allow myself to do that. Things happened when I closed my eyes, events that were completely out of my control, that changed everything. Obviously, I couldn't go without sleep forever, but tonight I had to rough it out. Hopefully, tomorrow I could come up with a better plan. Deep down, I doubted that immensely, but for this one night I lived in the comforting land of denial.

By the time the sun started to lighten the sky, I felt thoroughly sick. Looking for a sugar and caffeine rush to help me stay awake, I'd consumed a frappucino, two sodas, large handfuls of toffee covered peanuts, and half a pint of ice cream. My stomach was screaming in protest. Plus I was more tired than ever, and nearly bored out of my mind as well. I'd been reading to pass the time, but since I wanted to avoid anything that might really engage me and cause me to stray into the dangeous world of fantasy, I stuck to the generic teen romance novels that I'd liked back when I was middle school. I felt completely unsatisfied.

Still, I'd stayed awake. I'd barely allowed myself one Twilight related thought. For a moment I felt almost proud, but then I remembered that I was supposed to come up with a plan to stop my dreams from ever coming back, one that didn't involve me consuming thousands of calories between one and six in the morning every day. Despair washed over me. I had absolutely no idea what to do.

Once it was completely light I went quietly back downstairs and into the den, where I spent the next few hours watching informercials and some dull movie on Lifetime about a woman who killed her husband. It was hours more before I heard my family stir. It was such a relief when my parents came downstairs and started breakfast, followed by my brother. Company at last-I wasn't supposed to meet Michelle and Rae until noon and I needed some mindless conversation to keep me awake until then.

Unfortunately my mother left right after breakfast. There was some kind of crisis with a client of her public relations firm and she had to go smooth things over before it got out of hand. I was so disappointed-she'd been my best hope for companionship. I did my best not to make her feel too guilty though-she looked stressed enough as it was.

As I washed the breakfast dishes, I heard Dad and Colby's riotous laughter coming from the den. That sounded promising-seemed like Dad was in a good mood. I put the last pan in the dishwasher then wandered over to the den to see what was so funny. I walked in the room to see them on the couch nearly collapsed with laughter.

"Hey, what's so funny?" I smiled tentatively and Dad looked up, seeming surprised to see me there.

"Football bloopers." He gestured towards the tv.

"Yeah, Dad ordered a whole set of dvds full of them." Colby grinned at me. "We're going to watch them all!"

"Sounds good." I inched over to the couch. "Mind if I join you?"

Dad and Colby exchanged looks and then Dad looked at back at me. "It's _football_, Elisa." He said, as if I hadn't already gotten that. "You wouldn't understand it."

I frowned. "You could explain it to me." I hinted.

Dad looked impatient. "Don't you have something better to do? Like with your friends? Maybe you can go shopping or something."

Colby snickered. If Dad hadn't been there, he probably would have been perfectly happy for me to join him, but he always followed our father's lead. "Yeah, Elisa or you can practice your cheerleading moves, since we all know how much skill jumping around in short skirts takes."

He stood up, wielding an imaginary pair of pom-poms. "Oh, my milkshake brings out the boys to the yard!" He sang out in a high pitched voice, swinging his hips exaggeratedly and flailing his arms. "And they're like-it's better than yours!" He and Dad burst into even louder laughter.

I felt the familiar lump in my throat and tears began to fill my eyes as they made fun of me. I started to back towards the door, intending to run up the stairs to my room, throw myself on my bed, and sob my heart out like I so often did, but when I looked back, their amused faces made something inside me snap. I would _not _cry. I would not run away. This crazy week had driven me to my breaking point, and I was sick and tired of being pushed around. Suddenly I was furious.

I turned back, blinking away the traitorous moisture, and glared at them. "Nice. Real nice. Why don't you just be honest and say you don't want me around?" I looked at Dad as I spoke, my eyes challenging.

Dad stopped laughing and looked annoyed. "Oh, here we go again with the dramatics. You know that's not true, Elisa. Sit down and watch the damn show then if you want." He sat back, glowering.

"No." I clenched my jaw. "Just say it, Dad. Admit that the only time you can stand to talk to me at all is if you're yelling. I already know it's true-I just want to hear it from you for once."

Dad stood up, his face beginning to redden from anger. " Whatever, Elisa. That's crap and you know it. We talk plenty!" He stared down at me fiercely. Colby watched us both with wide eyes.

I refused to be intimidated. "Oh yeah? Tell me one real conversation we've had in the past month, Dad. Just one, and I'll apologize. Go on, tell me." I waited.

He stared at me, opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.

I took a deep breath. "That's what I thought." I turned to walk to the doorway, then looked back. I knew I had made my point but more words bubbled to my lips and then spilled over before I could stop them.

"You're going to regret it someday, you know. Maybe not until ten years from now, when you start wondering why I never call or visit. Or twenty years from now, when you see me once a year at Christmas and you still can't think of a single thing to say to me. Whenever it is, I swear that the day will come when you'll be sorry that you never took the time to get to know me. I'll be sorry too, but at least I'll have the comfort of knowing I tried." I was pleased that my voice didn't tremble.

With that, I turned and headed into the living room, willing myself not to shake with emotion. Dad followed me, his tall frame rigid with anger as I walked over to the coffee table and picked up my purse. His eyes were blazing.

"Just where do you think you're going?" He stormed as I turned towards the front door.

I scowled back. "_Shopping_." I hissed and with that I went outside, slamming the door behind me. I half expected him to throw it back open again and come roaring down the walk after me but he didn't.

As I rode the transit bus downtown, I half expected the burst of adrenaline I'd gotten from the argument with my father to wear off, but it didn't happen. I stared out the window, not seeing the passing scenery as I thought about it. I knew I was going to be in for it when I got home. I couldn't remember the last time I'd raised my voice to my father-he was probably having an apocalyptic meltdown right now. And yet...I didn't care. I didn't regret a single word I said to him. It was all true. He could bluster and yell all he wanted, but he knew it, and now he knew that he hadn't fooled me either.

When I finally got to Horton Plaza, I decided to put it out of my mind. Knowing my father, this was going to be the last day of freedom I had for a long, long time and I wanted to enjoy it. I was far too early...it was barely ten and my friends wouldn't be here until noon so I had some time to kill. I wandered from shop to shop, mostly just looking at window displays and not going in. I had limited funds and I needed to be conservative.

I'd gone about two blocks when I saw it. The shop I was standing in front of was new-last time I'd been here this had been an empty storefront with a for sale sign in the window. Now golden letters on the large glass window spelled out 'Azalea's Spiritual Emporium' and the inside display was full of crystals, witch and fairy statuettes, and various books with titles like 'Embracing Your Inner Goddess'. I giggled a bit and was about to move on when another book inside the window caught my eye. I read the black printed title on the simple blue cover: 'Your Dreams and You: A Metaphysical Journey Through Your Subconscious'.

I stood there, deep in thought for a moment. I'd promised myself I'd come up with a plan to stop myself from dreaming about Twilight. So far, I'd come up with zilch. Maybe learning what exactly my dreams meant, and why what happened in them was able to affect my real life the way it had, was the key. I didn't have any better ideas, anyway. I pushed open the door, bells tied to the handle tinkling to signal my arrival, and walked inside.

The shop was a bit dim and so crowded with inventory that it was hard to walk without tripping over something. It smelled really good in there though-the employees must have been burning incense or scented oil. I breathed in deeply and cautiously made my way over to the window display and was relieved to see a rack beside it, holding multiple copies of all the books that were on display. I picked up a copy of "Your Dreams and You", opened it and began to read the first few lines, desperately hoping for something that would finally explain away everything that had happened to me this last week.

A few minutes later I snapped the book shut, completely disappointed. It was a total letdown. Of course I hadn't given it much of a chance, but the first few pages were nearly incomprehensible-I couldn't understand a single thing the author was talking about. I sighed heavily as I returned the book to its shelf. For a moment there, just a moment, I'd had hope that I was onto something, that there might be a solution to my huge problem. Of course it couldn't be that easy.

"Can I help you with anything?"

A voice behind me nearly made me jump out of my skin. I jumped and turned to see an older, slightly plump woman with short, graying brown curls smiling down at me. She nodded at the book I'd just put away. "Interested in dreams, are you? Most girls your age are all about the love spells." She chuckled and nodded towards the corner of the store, where I could see a rack holding pink liquids in bottles and books with titles like "Using the Mystical To Get the Man of Your Dreams."

I gave her a bewildered look. "That stuff doesn't really work, does it?" I blurted out.

She shrugged, looking amused. "I suppose it depends on what you expect from it." She reached out and picked up the book I'd been looking at. "I take it this isn't what you wanted. Can I help you find something better?"

"Well, I was looking for something to help me...um, understand my dreams. Actually-" I sighed. "I'm hoping for something that will STOP me from dreaming."

She frowned slightly. "Why would you want to stop dreaming?" Her voice was curious.

I sighed. "I-" Unexpectedly, my eyes filled with tears. "I-have these dreams and I..." My voice trailed off as it became harder and harder to speak. The more teary I got, the redder my face became. This was so like me, to get all blubbery in public and in front of a stranger, no less. How totally humiliating.

The woman looked at me in concern, then abruptly straightened up, looking around the empty store. She gestured at me. "Come here, sweetheart." She waved me to a small table crowded into a corner. "Have a seat and tell me why you're so upset."

I don't know why I obeyed, but I followed her over to the table and sat down. She did the same, sitting across from me and looking at me steadily. "Would you like a glass of water?" Her voice was sympathetic.

I shook my head, wiping my eyes. "I'm fine. I'm sorry-it's just been a bad week."

She nodded. "I can see that. By the way, I'm Nancy. Welcome to my store." She extended her hand across the table towards me. It took me a minute to realize what she was doing, then hesitantly I reached out and shook it.

"I'm Elisa." I mumbled. "Wait-_you_ own this store? I thought it was _Azalea's_ Spiritual Emporium."

She laughed. "I just thought Azalea had a nicer ring then Nancy." Then she stopped laughing and looked at me closely. "Now that we've been properly introduced, why don't you tell me about these dreams?"

I didn't speak for a moment. I knew I shouldn't tell her. I couldn't tell anyone my secret-they would think I was insane. Yet the temptation to finally be able to share my fears with someone, to not have to carry this burden all by myself any longer was overwhelming. Maybe if I chose my words carefully...

"They-they aren't like regular dreams. Not even nightmares. I've had a lot of bad dreams before but these aren't the same. They're-like real. The things that happen in them..." I trailed off. I couldn't tell her. There was no way. If I spilled my guts to her, she'd probably call the cops and have me hauled off the premises. Still, the words were coming out before I could stop them. "The things that happen in my dreams-I think they really happen. It's like I can change reality." I couldn't look at her, knowing I'd see disbelief, maybe even anger or fear on her face.

"I know what you're thinking." I kept my eyes on the smooth table surface. Fresh tears began to roll down my face. "You think I'm crazy. I kinda think so too. I must be imagining it all but it seems so real. I'm probably, like, psycho or something and I don't even know it." I sniffed.

Nancy leaned forward and put a warm hand on mine. I looked up at her, startled. "I don't think that at all, Elisa. You seem like a fairly rational young lady to me." She paused for a moment, her eyes far away like she was considering something, then she looked back at me. "You know, there's a lot about dreams we don't understand. Did you know that it was once believed that they were actually portals to different worlds, that man had the ability to leave their body and travel as they slept? Some people still believe that. Have you ever heard of astral projection?"

I shook my head blankly.

"It's basically the same thing. It's the belief that a person has the ability to leave their body for brief periods of time and travel in spirit, possibly even to other realms of existence. It's completely unproven, of course, but I have read about, and heard from others, some of the most fascinating stories." She paused for a moment, then continued. "Of course, many people think it's a ridiculous concept. I don't really know how I feel. I don't think it's something I've ever experienced for myself, but there is so much in this world that we don't know...I don't like to discount anything unless I have a good reason for doing so."

"Well, even if I believed in it, that wouldn't explain what's happened to me." I sighed heavily. "The places I go...see, the scary thing is, they don't exist."

Nancy's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

I shook my head, trying not to get upset again. "I go somewhere that's completely fictional. I talk to people I read about in books. They don't exist at all, but when I dream about them, I change their stories and when I wake up, the stories stay changed." I looked at her desperately. "I don't understand it. They're not real! How can this be happening to me?" My breath was coming in gasps and I fought to get myself under control. Now I'd done it. She would know for sure that I was absolutely nuts.

Nancy was silent for a long moment. She seemed calm as she surveyed me with large brown eyes, but I was positive she was just trying to think of a kind way to tell me that I needed to get myself to the nearest psych ward as fast as I could. I knew I should get up and leave, but I had no energy left. Let her tell me I'd lost my mind-maybe the confirmation from somebody else would even be a relief.

Finally Nancy broke the silence. "Elisa, I do not want to presume in the least that I know what you're going through or I understand what you've experienced. Perhaps there are other issues in your life that are affecting you. Perhaps you are..imagining all this. The human mind can come up with some truly bizarre ways to deal with stress. But perhaps..." She looked at me and sighed, looking hesitant. "Maybe I should just quit before you start thinking _I'm_ crazy."

I shook my head in protest. "No." I said, intrigued. "Tell me."

Nancy exhaled lightly. "You remember what I just said about traveling to other realms of existence. Well, what if that's true? What if there really other dimensions, or perhaps, realities? Even scientists debate this, just like they debate the possibility of time travel. Some even say that the stories of ghosts or UFO's, the stories that can't be explained away, don't actually stem from supernatural beings or aliens. It is just the occasional accidental glimpse into another time or reality that is unfolding parallel to ours. And if any tiny bit of that is true, and mind you, I'm not saying it is, who isn't to say that you haven't been somehow able to cross into a whole other reality?"

I stared at her. "But it's not _real_." I pointed out, feeling that she'd missed a key point of my story. "It's just a book series!"

Nancy smiled as if I were the one missing something obvious. "Honey, why does that mean it can't be real? After all, where do stories come from? The same places dreams do, don't you think?" She looked at me intently.

I sat there for a moment, completely flabbergasted, trying to absorb her words. Nancy stood up and walked over to the counter and came back with a box of tissues, offering it to me. Automatically I took one, wiping the drying tears from my face.

After a moment Nancy broke the quiet. "Have I frightened you?" Her voice was regretful.

Once again, I shook my head. "No. I'm just-I don't know what I think about that."

Nancy shrugged. "Me neither. It's a pretty wild concept, isn't it? I don't know if I can honestly say that I accept it either. One thing I do accept though, is that there are mysteries in this universe that we have not even come close to understanding." She sat back down at the table and looked at me with a serious expression. "One thing I do want you to understand, Elisa, is that you are not crazy. Even if this is a fantasy concocted by your mind, it probably is just a very creative coping mechanism that you've come up with. There is absolutely nothing abnormal about that. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

At her words, I felt a deep sense of relief. "Yes." I smiled at her. "Thank you. You've really helped."

"Good." She stood up again. "I hope I've given you a bit to think about. No matter what explanation is behind your dreams, however, they still belong to you. You're the one in charge. If you don't want to go somewhere, you shouldn't have to go. There are some books I can recommend to help you."

I wrinkled my nose. "Like that metaphysical one?"

Nancy laughed. "No...I tried to read that one too, and I found it to be a load of bunk. How about learning about something a little more down to earth...meditation, perhaps? A way for you to relax your mind and your emotions, center yourself a bit, get back some of the control that you've lost."

I stood up as well. "That actually sounds really good." I smiled.

I ended up buying the book she recommended, plus an oil burner and several vials of scents that could help me relax. I also bought an self-hypnosis CD that was supposed to help me clear my mind. There were some interesting books on alternate realities and astral projection that we found as well but I decided I wasn't quite ready to seriously consider that explanation just yet. Nancy understood. She gave me the shop's card with her phone number scrawled on the back, making me promise to call her if I needed anything. I left the shop with my arms full of purchases but my spirits far lighter than they had been when I'd gone in. So maybe I had invented my Twilight dreams as a way of escape-maybe I had only imagined that the books had changed when I woke up, but it really didn't mean that I was insane. That thought alone made me feel so much better.

My cell phone rang as I headed down the sidewalk towards the center square where I was supposed to meet my friends. I answered and Rae's shrill voice drilled in my ear.

"Elisa! Where are you?" She demanded.

"At Horton Plaza, where we were going to meet. Why, are you guys here already?" I asked, still distracted.

"Of course we're here! We were supposed to meet at twelve, remember?" She sounded seriously annoyed.

I gasped. "It's twelve already?"

"It's twelve _thirty_." Rae sounded like she was speaking through gritted teeth. "Hurry up!" The line went silent with an aggrieved click.

I sighed in frustration. Rae could be so bossy. Plus she'd kept me waiting a million times and here she was acting like I'd mortally offended her. Still, I really didn't want to fight with her. Hurrying now, I rushed down the sidewalk and to the next corner, tapping my foot impatiently as I waited with a crowd of other pedestrians for the light to change.

If I hadn't been so tired, had so much on my mind, or even had just been paying attention to my surroundings, what happened next would have been completely preventable. Maybe I would have noticed that the black Nissan coming down the street was moving way too fast. Perhaps I would have seen that the walk signal was already flashing before I even stepped into the street. Maybe I would have even realized that I was nearly hidden from view, almost impossible to see, behind the large woman in front of me. Of course, it wasn't all my fault. The driver really should have waited to make sure the road was clear before he drove into the intersection. He certainly shouldn't have been going as fast as he was through such a packed shopping area.

It didn't really matter though, what either one of us should have seen or done, because the end result was the same. The car hit me and I never even saw it coming. When I felt the impact, I thought someone had bumped into me-hard-before I realized that I was flying through the air. I don't know how badly I would have been hurt if that streetlamp hadn't have been in my way-maybe it would have been less, but no one will ever be able to say, because I did hit the streetlamp-head first. I heard the loud crack, had one second to think how odd it was that I hadn't felt any pain-and then everything was gone.

To Be Continued

In the next chapter: Elisa is back in the world of Twilight, but this time, she may never be able to get home...

Don't forget to let me know what you think!

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	7. Chapter 7

_**This chapter is a bit shorter again-I apologize but I think I'm coming down with something. However, it was another one that was a lot of fun to write. **_

_**I want to say thank you so much to all who have commented-your words really give me a lift and make me so excited to keep writing. Please continue to let me know your thoughts.**_

_**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, storylines, and characters do not belong to me. Sad, but true.**_

_**Extraordinary: Chapter Seven**_

I don't know how it happened. One moment there was nothing...no awareness, no feelings, nothing but silent, peaceful black.

The next, I was sitting in a tree.

Let me repeat that. _ I was sitting in a __**tree**__._

It made waking up on an escalator seem like a sweet memory. I stared around for a moment at the pine covered branches surrounding me, only one tree in what seemed like an endless landscape of them, and then I made the mistake of looking down. Once I saw how very high up I was, I did what any normal person would do and shrieked like a five year old denied candy. I must have moved too, because the next thing I knew, I was plunging towards the ground. I would have screamed during the fall as well but I was using all my air to gasp for breath. It seemed to take a really long time to reach the ground, probably because of all the branches I managed to hit along the way.

I slammed face first into the hard ground, an impact hard enough to make me feel like I might have knocked out my ribcage through my back. I lay there for a long moment, hyperventilating and quivering all over with terror. I was also waiting to feel the inevitable agony of broken bones and possible internal injuries. After a few minutes, I realized the pain wasn't going to come. I rolled over and slowly sat up, confounded by this. I was no good judge of distance, but from what I could tell during the few seconds I was up there, I'd been higher up then I would have been if I'd sat on the roof of my house. Still, I felt nothing except a lingering sense of shock and a dull, distant ache. I would have considered myself lucky, but as I pondered what had just happened, any sense of gratitude became impossible to summon. In fact, I was feeling distinctly put out as I jumped to my feet.

"OK, this is officially _not_ funny!" I yelled at the overcast sky. "First an escalator, now a _tree_? What did I ever do to deserve this?!"

After a few minutes of ranting and raving at nothing, I finally became calm enough to really start to think through what was happening. I stared around me, taking in my surroudings and feeling fear crowd into my chest more and more. I was lost, alone, in the middle of a forest. A _big_, scary, Blair Witch-esque looking forest, and I could not see any signs of humanity anywhere. This was almost worse than hanging with the Volturi.

I almost threw myself back down on the lush green landscape to sob my eyes out, but I had no time to be a weeping damsel in distress. I wasn't used to such an overcast sky, so it could have just been the thick layer of gray fooling me, but it seemed like it might get dark soon. I definitely didn't want to be hanging out here when it did. No matter how deserted this place looked, there had to be a trail somewhere that would lead me back to a campsite or a park ranger station, anywhere that I'd have a good chance of finding someone who might be able to help me get back to civilization.

I looked down at myself, relieved to find I was back in my usual dream attire of my emerald green top, jeans, and comfortable yet cute black boots . The skirt and strappy sandals I'd worn to go shopping earlier definitely would have made a long hike much more difficult. Not that it wasn't going to be difficult anyway...my general idea of roughing it meant staying in a hotel without satelllite tv so I was definitely out of my element. Squaring my shoulders, I looked around, but no particular direction looked any more promising than the other. I sent a silent prayer up to whoever might have been watching over me that I was going the right way, and started forward.

As I walked, I wondered to myself how far I might get before I finally woke up. After all, this had to be another dream, right? How _had_ I fallen asleep, anyway? I frowned to myself as an elusive memory teased my brain. When I tried to focus on it, it danced away from me, like a butterfly cresting the wind. Frustrated, I searched my mind, trying to remember what had happened that day.

Let's see...I'd stayed up all night, then had a fight with Dad, went shopping at Horton Plaza, met a nice lady who sold me a book on meditation and then...what? It seemed like my memory abruptly stopped at that point. I ran through it all again, trying to focus as hard as I could. Now I had a vague recall of some conversation with Rae. She'd been annoyed with me. Did we have a fight? I tried harder to clarify it, but it was too foggy. As tired as I'd been, I must have fallen asleep not long after that point...maybe on the bus home. Ew...I hoped that the weird, smelly guy on my route who hit on every single female rider wasn't sitting next to me as I snoozed away, oblivious to his wandering eyes. Shuddering, I put the image out of my head as quickly as I could.

It wasn't all bad, my jaunt through the forest. I'd never really been to a place like this before-what passed as 'nature' in southern California was usually a stand of trees next to a new housing development. It really was kind of pretty here, and a few times small animals ran across my path, most too fast to identify although I did see an angry looking looking raccoon. Maybe I'd see a deer or something-that could be cool.

'Cool' was not exactly the first word that came to mind after I'd been trudging along for more than twenty minutes. I still hadn't seen a trail, or any signs, not even a reassuring piece of litter thrown carelessly on the ground to reassure me that people really did still exist in this lonely place. And was it me, or was it getting darker? My heart starting pounding faster and I was unable to stop the reel of horror movie flashbacks that were running through my brain. When it got dark, it would get terrifying here on a level I was completely not prepared to handle.

I shoved down the panic that was threatening to overwhelm me, but there was suddenly a loud noise in the distance that made it come back ten times worse. I froze in my tracks. What was that sound? It sounded like snarling or growling. My heart nearly stopped. I'd almost forgotten that the forest held more than cute, fluffy creatures like raccoons and deer. There were bigger-and meaner-animals, like coyotes, wolves, maybe even bears. I started to shake. The only comfort I had was that the sound seemed very far away, but even that was taken away from me when the ground below me began to tremble ever so slightly and the growling grew louder. Whatever it was, it was on the move, apparently in my direction. I looked around wildly for a place to run, then stumbled backwards. The noise grew louder and I turned and ran, tripping several times in my nervousness.

It was several paces before I realized what a huge mistake I'd made. The noise had been so distant at first that I hadn't really been sure what direction it had been coming from, and without knowing it, I'd fled the wrong way -right into its path.

It came crashing through a nearby stand of trees and when it burst through and I saw it I nearly fainted on the spot. It _was_ a bear. An enormous, shaggy brown, snarling creature with its black, glinting eyes fixed on me. I couldn't move. My own eyes were so huge it felt like they were going to pop out of my head. It was so huge-somehow I'd never imagined bears as so huge, even when I'd seen them for myself at the zoo or SeaWorld. I guess they looked a lot less immense safely behind thick glass or steel bars.

When the bear caught sight of me, it skidded to a stop. For just a second it sniffed the air, and then it roared so loudly the sound hurt my ears, standing on its hind legs. If I'd thought it was big before, that was nothing compared to how it looked as it reared upwards. It would have dwarfed my six foot fall father easily. Me, I felt like Thumbelina, standing so close to it. My terrified eyes locked onto the bear and refused to look elsewhere. I was hoping and praying that it would take in my strange human self and run away, but I registered the angry gash and dark, wet looking fur near its throat. It took me a moment to understand what it was, and then, much like Bella in Twilight, there were three things I became absolutely positive of. First, the bear was wounded. Second, the bear was **pissed**. And third, the only living being to take its pain and anger out on for miles and miles was unfortunately...me.

As the knowledge that I was about to end up as bear food finally overcame my paralysis, I turned and ran once more. I knew it was useless-I could hear it thundering after me, its paws slapping the ground. I could hear its growls and snarls and for an endless second, I felt its warm breath on the back of my neck as it easily outran my slow human pace, gaining on me. There was nothing else I could do. I threw myself onto the ground, expecting to feel its giant claws and teeth ripping through me any instant. What a horrific way to die-if I'd had any sense I would have let Jane kill me in Italy rather then endure this torture.

My eyes were closed, my body tense, waiting for the tearing of my flesh, when I heard it. Something else was moving fast towards us...it wasn't so much the noise from it that I heard as much as the rush of the air and the snapping of tree branches and brush around us as it sped into our vicinity. Then there was an enormous thud and suddenly I felt the bear fly away from me. It was growling and snarling even louder now, or at least I thought it was, until I realized that whatever had tackled the bear was making even more noise then it had been. I could hear an epic sounding struggle somewhere to my right but I didn't bother to look to see what was even bigger and scarier than an infuriated bear. I jumped to my feet, my legs shaking so hard I was surprised they could even hold me, and I ran once more.

I didn't get far before I couldn't breathe anymore, and my legs were definitely about to collapse under me. I fell to my knees and for a moment just tried to get the oxygen into my lungs so I could shake off the horrible suffocating feeling. Then my sense of self-preservation kicked in and I began to move. I was in no shape to struggle back to my feet, so I crawled forward as fast as I could. There were two trees close together nearby with a tall, leafy bush in between them, and that's where I headed. I crawled behind the bush and sat there, shaking so hard the bush moved with me and it pretty much made any effort of hiding null and void. Still, I couldn't go any farther. I could only hope that when whatever had attacked the bear was done with it, it wouldn't come looking for me.

That hope, like so many others I'd had lately, was short-lived. I'd only been behind the bush for a minute or two when I heard a sound like light running steps. I cringed back, fresh alarm blossoming inside of me as the noise got closer. Something was only feet away, pacing back and forth. I was numb with fright, too scared to even peek.

"Come on, where did you go?" I heard the voice-just a gruff whisper, really, but to hear something so unexpectedly human in the isolated woods where I'd been so sure I was going to die was shocking. I shook harder and the footsteps suddenly stopped, then I heard them coming in my direction. I shrank back-at this point, I couldn't be sure of anything, much less that my apparent savior was actually here to save me instead of subject me to an even more gruesome end.

The bush was suddenly parted by a large white hand and I gazed, stunned, at the face that peered in, staring at me with an almost equally shocked looking expression. Then the furrows on his brow smoothed out, leaving nothing but unblemished ivory skin behind and his mouth widened into a cautious but friendly smile, showing incredibly white teeth.

"Hey there, kid. You can come out now-you're safe." His voice was low and husky, but that wasn't what kept me staring, open-mouthed, as I took in his intimidating frame with the large muscled arms. My eyes toured upwards to observe the brown curls that covered his head, and back down just a little bit to take in the golden eyes that were surveying me with a mix of consternation and surprise. I couldn't believe it, but it had to be true...

Unless I was very much mistaken, I had just met Emmett Cullen.

_**To Be Continued...be sure to come back for chapter Eight and more Cullens then you can shake a stick at!**_

_**Please let me know what you think. : )**_


	8. Chapter 8

**First of all, THANK YOU to everyone who has commented on my story so far. I received some great feedback from the last chapter, and it meant so much to me. Please continue to let me know what you think. :) **

**Sorry, this is another short chapter but I may actually release another one tonight if I can find the time, since I originally intended it to be far longer. I hope you enjoy what I have so far. **

_**Extraordinary Chapter Eight**_

I was unable to move or speak for a few moments after Emmett had spoken...I just remained crouched in my uncomfortable hiding spot, staring at him blankly. His smile faded slightly.

"Come on now." He repeated, then held out his hand for me to take. "I'm not going to hurt you."

I took a deep breath, willing myself to calm down, and took his hand. It was quite a sensation, the feel of his icy flesh on mine. I knew that Bella had often described Edward's skin as cold and hard, but touching a vampire for myself was definitely an experience. How could something that _looked _so human feel so...not?

Emmett pulled me to my feet and around the bush to stand in front of him in one quick motion. It was probably an effort for him not to pull too hard and sending me flying a few feet or accidentally yank my arm off at the shoulder. I was immensely grateful for his self-control. We stood there for a moment, facing each other, me still breathing heavily, and neither one of us seeming to be able to come up with a single thing to say.

"So..." Emmett said after a moment. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave me a thorough stare. "What the heck is a kid like you doing all the way out here?"

"Um..." Explanations so soon? I could barely remember my own name as I gazed at him-how was I going to think of a likely cover story? "I got lost?" It was more of a question then a statement, even though it happened to be completely true. I just hoped he wouldn't expect details on _how_ I got lost.

No such luck. "How did you get lost?" He said, his golden eyes frankly disbelieving. "This isn't some kind of tourist area. There's nothing around here for miles except straight forest. No roads, no trails, no campgrounds...you didn't just wander in. People don't come here-ever."

"Well..." I looked him in the eye. "What are_ you _doing here then?" I was pleased to see the consternation on his face at my question. I already knew, of course, but it was going to be fun to see him try to come up with a plausible explanation.

"I...I was hiking." His voice was just the tiniest bit uncertain-apparently I'd caught him off guard, because I was sure he was used to coming up with far more realistic explanations then that at a moment's notice.

"Hiking?" This time I folded my own arms across my chest and then raised my eyebrow at him. "In a place miles from humanity, with no roads, no trails, and absolutely no people? That sounds likely."

"Well -hey!" His eyes flashed at me. "Knock it off! We're still talking about you."

My semi-smug smile faltered and I looked down. "I don't know what to tell you. I really am lost." The quaver in my voice gave truth to my words.

The bit of frustration that had built up in his features drained and his eyes softened at my woebegone expression. "Don't be upset. I'm here now...we'll get you out of here and to someplace where you can call your parents."

I had to stifle a near hysterical giggle at that. Unless he could find a phone that was able to go a bit beyond long distance and reach other dimensions, we were pretty much out of luck there.

"OK." I said instead of saying what was really on my mind. "And...thank you. I mean, for this, and for stopping the bear. It was_ so _about to shred me." I smiled at him, shakily.

He looked startled for a moment. "Yeah-it was...I mean, I guess I managed to scare it away." His expression was uncomfortable and this time I couldn't help but giggle. It was just too funny, trying to picture him jumping up and down in front of the bear and yelling 'BOO!' Did he really expect me to believe that?

His expression was definitely startled, almost worried now at my reaction and I quickly pressed my lips together, trying to return my face to its solemn expression. The best thing I could do was keep up this charade. Revealing all I knew was going to lead to questions that I could not possibly answer with any hope at all of being believed. Or it could just lead to being eaten. Either way, it was in my best interest to just keep pretending I was some ignorant human and let him escort me to safety, however long that might take. I looked at the endless forest and sighed. We'd be hiking all night, from the looks of it.

"My name is Emmett." He said suddenly, as if realizing he hadn't introduced himself yet. I knew that already, but I still felt a thrill at the confirmation. Emmett Cullen, standing right in front of me. It was amazing-no, it was way, waaaaay beyond amazing. I couldn't even come up with a way to put it into words.

"I'm Elisa." It took me a moment to remember that I should respond. I'd been so busy just staring, still unable to believe that I was in his presence. I could have looked at him for hours and still have felt like I hadn't seen all there was to see. He was so big -Edward hadn't been small but Emmett was in a whole different category. And his face was enthralling. He didn't have the angelic beauty that his brother did, but he was miles beyond good looking.

"Elisa." He repeated, and flashed another blinding smile at me, distracting me from my near drooling reverie. "That's nice. How old are you, Elisa?"

"I'm fifteen." I almost asked him how old he was, just to see what he'd say, but I pressed my lips together and stopped the words just in time. Interrogating a vampire was probably far more dangerous then it would be fun, and I'd had enough danger to fill several lifetimes lately.

We still hadn't begun walking yet, and I suddenly wondered why. It was almost like he was waiting for something. Then I realized he was probably waiting for a far more reasonable explanation for my sudden appearance and since I didn't have one, I wasn't about to press the issue.

Apparently he was. "Elisa..." His voice became very gentle, and I realized he was trying to question me in a way that wouldn't frighten me, almost like a police officer would speak to a terrified child. "Did someone bring you here? Did you...run away from them? Was someone trying to hurt you?"

I took a deep breath, touched by his concern, and hating the fact that I was going to have to look into his honest face and lie through my teeth. "Um...well..." I still didn't have any other explanation that I could even imagine him accepting. The only thing to do-and I hated myself for being so deceptive-was to play along. I let my eyes fill with tears, which wasn't hard considering I felt like I was balancing on an emotional tightrope. When I spoke, my voice was choked.

"I -don't want to talk about it. I just want to go home." I let myself shiver, and crossed my hands over my arms, rubbing them as if to soothe myself.

It worked. Emmett's face became intensely sympathetic, and it made me feel even worse for letting him think I'd been dragged here and abandoned or something even worse. I felt hideous, like the lying troll that I was, as I saw the emotions cross his face, but what else could I do? Tell him he was nothing more than a figment of my imagination, that none of this was real? Or maybe that it was and I was a visitor from another reality? Riiiight...that would go over real big. And then I could throw in that I knew everything about him and his family. I'd be their worst nightmare. As much kindness as he'd shown me, I still had to remember what he was, and what he could do.

The Cullens may not believe that humans were merely walking meals, but they would protect their own above all. I had to be realistic-if a far too knowledgeable fifteen year old girl threatened that, what would they do? I was not Bella. None of them had any attachment to me. I swallowed hard, thinking about it. I was definitely going to have to be careful. One slip up and I might die in these woods after all, although I was sure Emmett would make it much faster than the bear would have. That was very little comfort, and this time I shivered for real, thinking about it.

Emmett saw this, of course, and he began to say something, but suddenly he stopped, his head whipping around and staring into the trees to the left of us as if he'd heard something. The next minute, he put a fist to his mouth and began to cough loudly. I stared at him in surprise. A vampire -coughing?? Was there some kind of vamp pneumonia I didn't know about? Had Emmett been infected with a supernatural plague of some sort?

"Are you OK?" I burst out in alarm.

"Sure-" He started to say but his attention was drawn once again back to the darkened area he'd been staring at before and he started coughing loudly again. Finally, it clicked and I realized what he was doing as apprehension warred with excitement in me. He wasn't coming down with monster flu. He was signaling to someone, or more than one someone, that I could not see, probably trying to tell them that he was not alone. Why hadn't I realized earlier that he had said '_we'll_ get you out of here', ? Emmett hadn't come to this forest to hunt alone, which meant that-

My thoughts were completely cut off as two figures, moving at a cautiously human pace, finally became visible to my mortal eyes. Once again, I lost complete control of my heart rate and my breathing as they stepped into the fading light and I could see them more clearly. Jasper Cullen, even taller than Emmett, with dark blond hair that I'd always pictured as somewhat curly, but it wasn't. It was straight, and longish, almost long enough that he might have been able to pull it into a tiny ponytail if he'd so desired. And emerging next to the trees next to Jasper was -I felt my heart seize up- _Edward_. Beautiful, angelic, romantic Ed -gah! What was I thinking? Edward was here! And he'd seen me in Italy, and _he could read minds_! He would know I'd deceived Emmett, he'd know that I knew all of their secrets! _Oh no, oh no, oh no_... My mind racing a mile a minute, I frantically tried to think of a way out of this. Maybe he wouldn't remember the whole Italy thing. After all, he'd been pretty distracted. And if I could just keep my story straight in my head, block out those particular thoughts that were sure to lead to my untimely demise, it would be OK.

Desperately, I tried to focus as they approached and their golden eyes swept over me appraisingly. I couldn't even look them in the face, especially not Edward. I just tried to keep up a believeable stream of thoughts as they got closer. '_Um...I'm lost. I just want to get home. That's all there is to it, just lost out in the big bad woods. Poor little me...' _Poor little me? The big bad woods? What was I trying to come across as, Little Red Riding Hood? Mentally smacking myself, I went back to my internal speech. '_Yes, lost...I'm all by myself and scared and all I want is someone to help me get home...don't know anything about vampires...especially not gorgeous, love stricken, shirtless vampires..." _Dammit! This was so not working!

I tensed as they came to stand beside Emmett, waiting for Edward's voice to ring out and reveal me as an impostor, but he was silent. I still didn't dare to look at his face as Emmett began to speak. I just made myself repeat _'lost' _over and over in my head. It seemed easier than trying to come up with anything more complex.

"Who is this?" Jasper's voice was wary. I looked up at him, feeling tremors begin to shake my undersized frame once more. I felt very, very small next to the three of them. It was a relief to see that his face was not angry or threatening, just careful.

"This is Elisa." Emmett spoke for Jasper's benefit only, I was sure, since Edward had probably already plucked my name out of his head, or mine. "I ran across her while I was, uh, hiking. She managed to get herself into a bit of trouble with a bear and I scared it off." His grin was rueful and and Jasper's face showed a bit of amusement too, knowing all too well what Emmett had really done with the bear.

Mentally, I smacked myself again. I wasn't supposed to be thinking that! I snuck a timid peek at Edward's expression and my heart gave an embarrassing jump as I looked at his gorgeous features. For a minute, I forgot that I was supposed to be looking for an indication that he knew what I was hiding, and I had to force myself to concentrate. His face was completely expressionless though, as he looked at me. I must have been better at blocking my stray thoughts then I'd given myself credit for.

Feeling relieved, I turned my attention back to Emmett and Jasper. Emmett was looking at me now, waiting to regain my attention. "Elisa, these are my brothers. Jasper-" I turned to shake his offered hand lightly as it was extended to me- 'and Edward."

I turned to Edward, wondering if I would be able to touch his perfect skin without fainting dead away but he was not holding out his hand for me to shake like Jasper had. With a sense of impending dread, I let my gaze travel ever so slowly up his gray clad chest and up to his face. The result of my visual inspection was **not **good. He was glaring at me now, his amber colored eyes smoldering.

"I don't think formal introductions are necessary, Emmett. Elisa and I have met." He scowled down at me and I took an involuntary step back at his words. My knees weakened as I read the displeasure on his face. "In fact, Emmett, you needn't worry about being so careful around her either. I'm afraid she knows far more about us than she's led you to believe. Don't you, Elisa?"

Three pairs of topaz colored eyes stared into my green ones, one pair shocked, the other two menacing, and I knew without a doubt my cover had been irrevocably blown.

_**To Be Continued...**_

_In Chapter Nine, trying to explain herself to the Cullens starts to seem easy to Elisa as she begins to realize something back in her real world is seriously wrong, something that may leave her stranded in her dreams forever. Will Edward and his family be willing to help her, or will they resort to much more drastic action to keep their secrets safe?_


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm sorry I couldn't upload this last night, but this chapter actually turned out to be extremely difficult to write. I**_** think **_**it's longer then some of the others lately, but I could just be imagining that because of all the extra effort I put into it. As always, I appreciate all of your wonderful feedback and I also wanted to acknowledge Queen of the Unknown for pointing out my error in the last chapter...any Twilight junkie should know that Jasper's last name is **_**Hale**_**, not Cullen! I **_**will**_** fix that...eventually. :D I apologize as well for some of the awkward writing...my chapters are fresh off the press. In other words, I write them, then I upload them. If I had any sense I'd get a beta and have them proofread, but I have so much story in my head that I just want to get them out. I will do my best to be more careful in the future! (**_**By the way, did anyone notice that I wrote 'shoe-in' a few chapters back instead of 'shoo in'? I mean...**__**shoe**__** in?! What was I thinking? I've left it uncorrected as a testament to my natural blondness. :p **_**) **

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and as always, please leave me any comments or questions you may have.**

_**Extraordinary: Chapter Nine**_

It seemed like an endless moment before Emmett turned his eyes away from me and looked at Edward.

"What are you talking about?" He frowned at him. "How do you know Elisa?"

Edward was still giving me a deep freeze stare, and he spoke without his eyes ever leaving my face.

"She was in Italy. In the alley, where I was-" He cut himself off, and I saw Emmett and Jasper both shoot him dirty looks. Apparently, he wasn't quite forgiven for trying to off himself without even a goodbye to the family he'd been a part of for so long. Edward grimaced slightly at whatever they were thinking, then turned his attention back to me. "She knew my name and what I was attempting to do. I think she's with the Volturi."

"Whaaaat?" I shrieked in complete indignation. He'd said something about that before, back in the alley, but I'd thought it was just the grief over Bella dulling his normally quick-witted mind. How could he be so _dense_? "I am NOT with the Volturi!"

"Wait." Jasper gave Edward a hard look. "You _think _she's with the Volturi? You don't actually _know_?"

Edward was silent for a moment, looking tense. "No." He finally said. "I can't read her. You?" I felt a huge rush of relief. Yes! Edward Cullen couldn't read my mind! I nearly did a dance of pure happiness and relief, but then immediately remembered I was still stuck in the middle of nowhere with three vampires who viewed me as a potential -and edible- threat.

Jasper looked at me for a few seconds, then back at Edward. I realized he'd been trying to read my emotions, and I shifted nervously, almost feeling invaded.

"No. I can't read her either. I mean, there's something..."

"Yes." Edward agreed. "I get little flashes here or there, almost a garbled word or two, but I can't quite make it out."

Emmett was looking back and forth between them as they spoke, his mouth slightly open. Now he spoke, looking tense. "Just because she knew your name and you can't see into her mind doesn't mean she's Volturi! Seriously, Edward, what are you thinking? She's human, and she's a kid! Why would the Volturi recruit someone so...helpless?"

I would have been offended at that, except that I couldn't deny it was true. So I stood there, feeling every bit as weak and helpless as I actually was, and just hoped his words were getting through to them.

Edward looked at Emmett, his words impatient now. "Emmett, think about it. The Volturi use mortals regularly. How else could she have known who I was and where I'd be in Italy, if they hadn't sent her after me? And now she shows up here, the middle of nowhere in a place nearly inaccessible to humans, and we're supposed to believe this is a coincidence? Besides, I'm not exactly convinced that there isn't something...unnatural about her. Have you noticed her scent?"

Both Emmett and Jasper's eyes widened in recognition of whatever Edward was talking about.

"I noticed that straight away." Jasper said in his quiet voice. "I caught the scent of her blood awhile back, but it was so distant and diluted that I thought it was days old. Even now, the smell is so weak it's like she's miles away, not standing right in front of us."

Emmett was nodding. "Exactly! For a little while, I thought it was just me, like maybe that bear I ate had been so ripe it overcame my senses a bit." He shrugged, and then suddenly realized what he had said, looking at me in alarm.

"It's OK." I sighed in defeat. "Edward's right. Not about the Volturi part -that's_ totally _stupid- but I know you're vampires. Besides, even if I didn't, the fact that you took down a rabid grizzly right next to me would have given me a clue that you're not totally normal." I couldn't help but smile a little at the memory.

"Oh." Emmett scratched the back of his neck. "Noticed that, did you? Look, I'm sorry about that. If I had any idea that a human was around, I would have just killed the bear outright instead of teasing it the way I did. I had no idea I'd be putting anyone in danger."

Jasper shook his head in mock condemnation at Emmett's words. "How many times have we told you not to play with your food?" They both snickered, and Edward's eyes flashed dangerously. He seemed aggravated that they were taking the situation so lightly.

"Yes, her scent is barely noticeable, which is odd enough, but in Italy it was completely non-existent. Don't let your eyes deceive you. She may look like an innocent child, but I believe she's the furthest thing from it. _How_ does she know us? _How_ does she know about the Volturi?" Edward gave me another penetrating glare and I moved a step back, my heart nearly in my throat.

Emmett and Jasper turned back to me, their expressions serious now.

"How _did_ you know, Elisa?" Emmett's voice was grave, almost sad. I think he wasn't too happy about the fact that he was probably going to have to help dispose of my body in a few minutes, or maybe he was just upset that I had fooled him so completely.

"I..." I took another step back, then stopped, This was useless. I was completely trapped in my own web of deceit at this point, and the most unfair thing was, it wasn't even my fault. I didn't know why I'd ended up here. I didn't know why I'd started having these dreams in the first place. And now I was going to pay for something I couldn't even understand myself.

My eyes welled with half furious, half terrified tears as my shoulders slumped in defeat. I looked at the three of them. "I don't know what to tell you. There's no way I can explain, nothing that I can tell you that you will possibly believe. All I can say is that I'm not with the Volturi, and I never meant to hurt any of you, or spy on you, or mess up your lives. I just wanted Edward and Bella to be ha-"

I didn't even get to finish the word I was speaking. When I said Bella's name, Edward went even whiter then he naturally was, a feat I'd never imagined possible. Then he was moving, leaping forward so fast he was a mere blur. Next thing I knew he had my shoulders clutched in an iron grip. I could only gasp in terror as he shook me like a rag doll, lifting my feet up off the ground.

"Bella! That's it, that's why you're here! You're checking up on her for your masters, aren't you?" He gave me another violent shake as I dangled helplessly in the air.

"No!" I gasped. "That's not it at all!"

He wasn't listening. "You will go back to Italy, right now, and tell them that Bella will be changed if and when she says and not a moment before then! And you tell them to stay away from her, because the next messenger they send will be returned in pieces. Do you understand me?!"

He was shouting now, his voice so loud I thought my eardrums might burst. His face was so furious it almost looked deranged, and I couldn't help the terrified sobs that came from me. I'd always imagined Edward as this romantic, gentlemanly hero...it had been so easy, swept up in the tenderness of his relationship with Bella, to forget what he was truly capable of. Now I saw it for myself, and I had never been more frightened. I knew, with all certainty, that I'd rather invite both Jane and the bear who'd almost killed me over for tea then be anywhere near an infuriated Edward Cullen ever again.

"Stop it!" There was a blur of motion, and then suddenly Edward was propelled away, his stony fingers abruptly letting go of my shoulders. I slammed into the ground, landing on my backside as I realized that Emmett had pushed his brother away from me. They stood facing each other, Edward's fury turned on him now.

"What the hell are you doing?" Emmett bellowed at Edward. "Are you trying to scare her to death? Look, I know this whole thing is weird, but I really don't think she's with the Volturi, or here to spy on us. You are way out of line!"

"And here I thought I was the one with a weakness for humans." Edward was breathing heavily, cold eyes fixed on Emmett's face. "I never figured you for such a sentimental fool."

Emmett grabbed Edward's shirt, yanking his brother towards him with furiously, and then Jasper was there, stepping in between them with such a quick gesture that they were jerked apart before I even saw the movement.

"I think we all need to calm down." Jasper said smoothly, and as I watched, both Edward and Emmett visibly relaxed, stepping away from each other more easily now as the anger drained out of their faces.

Edward took a deep breath and turned where I was still sobbing on the ground, feeling too shocked to get up. He looked at my miserable face then back at Jasper. "Can't you do something for her as well?"

Jasper looked frustrated. "I'm trying as hard as I can. She seems immune to me."

Edward shook his head. "Great." His voice was flat, but no longer angry. He turned back, and then walked slowly towards me. I cringed away from him, and for a moment, I saw something like regret darken his features, but then his face was so smooth again that I was sure I'd imagined it. Ignoring my weak efforts to get away, he knelt down before me, looking me right in the eyes, freezing me into place with his gaze.

"Elisa, I need you to be completely honest with me. Please don't be scared to tell me the truth -even if you were sent here by the Volturi, I realize that you are nothing more than their pawn and I would never punish you for what they've forced you to do. Now, look me in the eyes and tell me. Are you with the Volturi?"

I shook my head, tears still dripping down my face. "No. I swear I'm not." I tried hard to stop crying, starting to feel seriously embarrassed.

Edward stared into my tearful face for a long moment, then stood up slowly. "I believe her." he said finally, turning back to his brothers.

Emmett nodded immediately in agreement. Jasper was slower to respond, looking at me, then back at Edward. Finally, he nodded as well, and I felt such a huge rush of relief that it almost set me sobbing again. I took deep breaths, trying to calm down as I swept at the tears on my face.

Edward turned back to me and held out a hand. I took it automatically and he pulled me to my feet just like Emmett had earlier when he found me hiding. "That doesn't mean you don't still have quite a bit to explain, of course." His voice was smooth but serious as he looked down at me.

Emmett cleared his throat loudly. "Don't you have something to say first, Edward?" he hinted. Edward gave him an exasperated look, and then turned back. His features softened slightly as he looked at me.

"I suppose I do. I shouldn't have frightened you like that, Elisa. I'm sorry. It's just...when it comes to Bella I have a slight tendency to...well, overreact."

"I noticed!" I snapped, anger at the humiliation I'd just suffered at his hands beginning to overcome my quite sensible fear of him. "Next time, take a pill or something, will you?" I nearly bit my tongue off as I realized what I'd just said. Why, oh why, did I have such a tendency to lose my temper with all powerful beings that could kill me in a heartbeat?

To my relief, both Emmett and Jasper chuckled at my words. Edward merely rolled his eyes. "I'll try to keep that in mind." he said drily.

I was wiping my eyes when I felt the heat of their stares boring into me. I looked up to see their gazes locked on me expectantly. Great..what now?

"So, Elisa..." Jasper began, then stopped, looking at Edward for apparent confirmation that he was going about this the right way before continuing. "We have accepted, despite some quite reasonable doubt, that you were not sent here by the Volturi. So now you need to be honest. How _did_ you get here?"

This was the moment I'd been dreading. I stared at my feet for a few minutes, knowing I couldn't stall long before they got impatient. The last thing I needed them to do was rethink their not killing me stance. I had to be honest. It was my only chance...I had a feeling that whether he could read my mind or not, Edward would see through me in a second if I tried to lie. But they would never, ever believe me if I told them I'd come here in a dream, that I was from a different reality where they were nothing more than characters in a story I'd read. What was I going to do?

I tried to think it over as fast as I could. I could see by their expressions that they weren't going to wait long. My brain was muddled with confusion from all that had happened and getting a single coherent thought out of it was like swimming through quicksand. I bit my lip standing there. OK, I had to tell the truth...but that didn't necessarily mean I had to tell them the _whole_ truth, did it?

Edward made an impatient sound and I looked up at him. Just the slightest bit of anger was starting to creep back into his features, but it was enough to start my heart racing. I definitely did not want to set him off again. Here went nothing.

"You're not going to believe me." I blurted out.

They continued to stare, as stiff as if they'd been frozen into place.

"Try us." Edward said flatly.

"OK then." I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm not really here. I...I told you you weren't going to believe this."

"Go on." Emmett urged, although his eyes were confused.

"Fine." I threw up my hands. "For about a week now, I've been been falling asleep at night and waking up -I mean, really waking up, _not_ dreaming- someplace else and it all has to do with you guys. I mean, not necessarily you three specifically, but with your world and your family. The first time I did whatever it is I'm doing, I ended up at La Guardia with Bella and Alice. They were trying to get on a plane to Italy. To save _you_." I looked pointedly at Edward.

Edward's jaw tensed but he remained calm. "Continue."

Darn it. I was leaving too much out...it wasn't going to make sense. What could I say now? My eyes welled with unwelcome tears. "I guess I have to explain something else. You see, where I come from, people know about you. You-"

"Wait..._what_?" Jasper demanded, looking at me hard. "What are you talking about?"

I turned away from them, not wanting to read their expressions anymore, and began to pace back and forth. "Where I come from, you all are...not real, or at least no one thinks you are. You're...like..." I tried to think of the right word. How could I tell them they were characters in a book? They had enough issues already and that had the potential to give them all a serious complex. Who wants to think that they might not be real? I was going to have to explain this very, very carefully. "You're like...legends! Um, you know, those stories that people tell each other all the time that nobody really believes but everyone likes anyway? Like...Bloody Mary!"

"_Urban_ legends." Emmett corrected, looking at me "Elisa...that just..." He almost looked like he felt sorry for me. "That is really just...not believable. _No one _knows about us. Well, almost no one." He shot Edward a small grin. "There is no way a whole population is standing around swapping stories about our family."

Despite the seriousness of the situation I was in, my temper began to rise. "You don't think I know how this sounds?" I said angrily. "You asked me for the truth and I'm trying to tell you! Do you want me to finish, or not?"

Edward sighed heavily. His face was cold again as he looked at me. "Please continue with this_ very _entertaining tale, Elisa." His voice dripped with sarcasm and I shot him a dirty look.

"Well, OK, so that's how I knew about you." I prayed they wouldn't ask for more details on that. "Your stories are...kinda my favorite. I pretty much memorized them...I knew a lot of stuff that had happened to you. Not everything, but mostly the stuff about Bella." I winced at that, knowing that it would elicit an reaction from Edward. I was right. He stiffened, glaring at me, and I heard the beginnings of a growl in his chest.

"Relax." Emmett smacked Edward in the back of the head, and Edward glared at him angrily.

Jasper sighed. "Would you two please stop it and let her finish?"

I was still pacing, absently rubbing at the nervous goosebumps that had sprouted on my arms. "See, I guess the reason why I liked your stories so much is because it's mostly about love. It's like..." I pondered for a moment. "Romeo and Juliet. That's what makes it so popular. Plus, everyone loves a good vampire story. But I never, ever thought they were real. No one does. That's why the dreams were so weird. See, that night that I was at La Guardia, I accidentally -"

I bit my lip hard. "I stopped Alice and Bella from getting on the plane. I thought it was just a dream but when I woke up..." The tears in my eyes swelled and threatened to overflow. "When I woke up, the stories had all changed. Nobody remembered the way it was before, with Bella going to Italy and stopping Edward- you-" I looked at him warily "from being killed by the Volturi. In the stories, you were dead, and it was all my fault, because I was the one who messed everything up. I killed you."

Edward looked like he'd reached the end of his rope. "I've had enough of this." He bit out. "This is blatantly ridiculous, the way we're all allowing ourselves to be jerked around by a _child_." He turned on me, his light colored eyes flashing. "You are playing a very dangerous game, Elisa. I suggest, if you have any sense of self-preservation at all, that you stop right now and tell us the truth."

I didn't even try to stop the rising tide of fury that washed over me at his words. The feeling was like what I'd felt earlier when I'd confronted my father but a million times stronger. I was so mad that for the first time ever, I understood the phrase 'seeing red'. Everything in my vision was aflame in a sea of crimson. _Edward _had had enough of this? _He_ thought this was ridiculous? After everything I'd been through he had _some_ nerve!

Suddenly I was shouting. "It's not all about you, you know! How do you think I feel?! I've spent this last week thinking I was going crazy! I never wanted this! Do you have any idea what it felt like, to wake up and find out that I'd caused the death of the guy that was pretty much my hero? And knowing what it did to Bella, and your family...even people in my life, that loved the stories just as much as I did...it made me feel like a murderer! I knew it was all my fault, but I couldn't tell _anybody _because they would have hauled me off to the funny farm! My whole life got destroyed because all I could think about was trying to fix what I'd done! And finally, I did it. I dreamed again about the airport, but this time I didn't interfere, and Alice and Bella got on the plane to save you. All I wanted then was to know that it had worked. That's how I ended up in Italy, because I wished so hard that I could see you and Bella together again and know that everything would be alright. And guess what I got for my trouble, for everything I went through trying to save your ungrateful ass? Almost mind baked by Jane, that's what! The fun just keeps coming, too. I fell out of a tree, almost got eaten by a bear, and I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere totally trying to keep you three from killing me, and you know what? If I had known you were such a mean, uptight _jerk _I wouldn't have even bothered!"

I think I would have gone on raving for quite a while, but I actually ran out of oxygen and had to pause to gasp for breath. Then I caught sight of the look on their faces and froze, my comforting fury immediately washed away by their stunned expressions as they stared at me. Uh oh. I had done it now...did I really just call Edward Cullen a jerk?? To his_ face_? I cringed back. "Um...maybe jerk wasn't quite the right word..." I mumbled, trying to blend into the tree behind me and quietly disappear.

Edward ignored me, turning to Jasper. "Did you _feel_ that?" he demanded as I listened, bewildered.

"Yes!" Jasper looked just as shocked. "Did you _hear_ that?"

Edward nodded. "Every single word." His voice was surprised which I supposed was a relief, considering it could have been homicidal.

Emmett stared at them. "What's going on?"

That's what I wanted to know too as Edward and Jasper turned to me.

"I felt her." Jasper said. "Her emotions, when she was speaking just now." To my surprise, his lips twitched into a light smile. "She is definitely _not_ happy with you, Edward." His smile faded slightly. "She's also confused...lost...frightened...basically, everything she said she was." He looked at me steadily.

"Well...uh...yeah." I was completely thrown off balance by this turn of events. "And um...you heard me?" I turned to Edward, afraid to look directly at him. I settled for taking quick peeks and then staring back down at the ground as I waited for him to reply, or to kill me, whichever came first.

To my complete consternation, Edward laughed. He actually _laughed_. "I did." He confirmed, still chuckling. "You were thinking pretty much what you were saying, except your language was a bit more...colorful." I peeked up again as he spoke, and then couldn't look away as I saw the wide smile that split his face, and his dancing golden eyes. He was _beautiful_. Plus hearing his laughter, feeling the charm that rolled off of him in breezy waves now that he wasn't angry, I could see once again why Bella loved him so much. Funny how I'd nearly forgotten.

My face went scarlet then, both at these thoughts and at the realization that he'd gotten the NC 17 version of my temper tantrum. "So you can hear me now?" I blurted out, horrified.

Edward's smile faltered and he and Jasper exchanged quick looks. "For me, your voice faded as soon as you calmed down. Jasper?"

Jasper nodded. "For me as well. I can't feel her at all now. Well, no..." He inclined his head, concentrating for a moment. "There are still those flashes that I can't quite interpret. It's like she's here, but muted."

Edward nodded in agreement. "Exactly."

"OK, that's totally weird." I stared at them, but I was still relieved Edward hadn't heard me gushing over him in my head.

Emmett chuckled. "So says the girl who believes she traveled here in her dreams."

I glared at him. "I did!" Then I turned back to Jasper and Edward. "You heard me. You know I'm not lying now...don't you?" My voice broke a little as uncertainty surged through me once more.

The three of them exchanged long looks, and then finally Edward turned to me. He sighed. "It's still a very...strange story. What we know, Elisa, is that _you_ believe it's true. For now, that's going to have to be enough."

Emmett was staring up at the sky now. "We're going to have to make some decisions pretty quick, you guys. I can smell the rain coming. She's going to freeze to death if we stand out here debating this all night."

Jasper and Edward looked at him, then at each other. For a long moment they were silent, or at least I thought they were, until I realized I could see the slightest quiver of their lips. The three of them were talking so quietly that I couldn't hear them, which meant they were talking about _me_.

"Hey!" I cried. "Look, if you guys are trying to decide my fate, I'd kinda like to be in on that conversation if it's OK with you!"

Their heads snapped up and they observed me for a long moment.

"Guys, I don't see how we have any other choice." Emmett finally said, apparently continuing whatever they'd been saying. "We can't just leave her out here."

I stepped back automatically. _ No other choice? What were they going to do to me? _"Actually..." I stammered. "You can. See, I won't be stuck here forever...eventually I'll wake up. I'll just kinda...fade away." I remembered my transparent hands at La Guardia before I had woken up in my own bed.

Then another thought occurred to me for the first time, and suddenly, I felt a fresh wave of apprehension. Suddenly, whatever they were talking about didn't seem so important. Automatically, I moved away from them, beginning to pace back and forth as worry took over me.

"Elisa? What's wrong?" Emmett looked at me curiously.

"It's just that..." I turned and looked at them. "I should be awake by now. I've never had one of these dreams go on so long before. I don't understand..." I began to pace again. "I can't have fallen asleep on the bus for all this time. Someone would have woken me up. " I was talking more to myself as I walked the same few feet over and over again. "If I went home and fell asleep, why don't I remember it? Why can't I remember _anything_?" There was something I was missing, something important, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"What is it that you don't remember?" Edward was walking towards me now, followed by Jasper and Emmett.

"I don't remember falling asleep." I looked at them, too distracted to care if they believed me anymore. "I've never had this problem before. Every other time I've had one of these dreams about any of you, I knew everything that had happened until then. Now I don't. The last thing I remember, I was shopping downtown. Then I was here."

The three of them exchanged another long look. I barely noticed as I resumed my pacing. Then my attention was distracted by the fat raindrop that splatted on my head. I made the mistake of looking up and another one dripped right in my eye. Blinking wildly, I rubbed my face. The skies opened up then, and more raindrops began to pour down on us. "Oh, _perfect_!" I groaned.

"Well, that's it. We gotta take her." Emmett looked at his brothers, and they nodded.

"Take me _where_?" I demanded, my voice cracking slightly.

Edward looked at me, then smiled slowly. "Home." He looked at his brothers and then back at me. "So Elisa...how do you feel about meeting the rest of the family?"

**To Be Continued...**

_In Chapter Ten, Elisa's life is hanging by a thread and the Cullen family is her only hope-will they find a way to save her?_


	10. Chapter 10

**Welcome to Chapter Ten of Extraordinary! I really loved writing this chapter but I have to admit, it wasn't the chapter I intended to write at all. It seemed like Elisa and the Cullen boys just took over with their own story-they didn't seem to want me to rush them along. :D So I'm sorry if some things take a little longer to get to, but hey, might as well enjoy it while you can because the story is almost over. I very much hope you all like this chapter. **

**Your wonderful feedback has been so much appreciated...PLEASE keep it coming. It inspires me in ways I can't describe.**

**You know the deal...Twilight and all of its characters, storylines, and sequels belong to Stephenie Meyer. **

_**Extraordinary: Chapter Ten**_

_My hooptie, rolling, tailpipe dragging,_

_heat don't work and my girl keeps naggin'_

_6 9 Buick, deuce keeps rolling',_

_one hubcap 'cause three got stolen..._

'My Hooptie', Sir Mix A Lot

It took me several long seconds to process Edward's words, but once I did I have to admit I actually shrieked like the rabid fangirl I was. He stepped back at a bit at my peal of happiness, raising an eyebrow. I was too excited to have any sense of shame at the moment.

"You're kidding! I can go to your house? And meet your family? Alice? Carlisle? Everybody?" I burst out.

Edward smiled again, a little grudgingly. "Everybody. Even..." He sighed lightly. "...Bella." His voice betrayed a slight reluctance.

I squealed again. "Bella?!" I stopped myself from jumping up and down. Barely.

"Wait." Jasper interrupted. For a sad moment I thought he was going to object to the whole Crazy Elisa Meets The Vampire Family plan, which I was totally for. It would make all the nearly- mind- zapped- by- Jane/-eaten- by- a- bear memories SO worth it.

But instead he just asked, "How are we going to get her there?"

Emmett shrugged. "We'll run her. Edward does it with Bella all the time."

Edward shook his head. "Not that far. I don't know if she can handle it."

"I can too handle it!" I said indignantly, sputtering a little as the rain soaked my hair and dribbled down my face into my mouth.

All three of them looked at me doubtfully, then their lips began to quiver as they spoke quietly to each other once more.

"Could you please stop doing that?" I demanded. "That is_ really _annoying."

Edward shot me an exasperated look. "We're going to run you part way." he said. "There's a road about ten miles out. Jasper will go ahead, liberate a vehicle, and meet us there."

I giggled. "You're going to steal a car?" I looked at Jasper.

Jasper shrugged. "There's a campground and parking area not far from the road, but it will be slim pickings. Most people don't come out in this kind of weather. We might end up running you the whole way after all."

"OK." Emmett rubbed his hands together. "Let's do this before she drowns." He looked at me and snickered. The torrential downpour looked like it was barely touching the three of them, almost as if it was propelled away by some '_I'm too sexy' _vampiric shield. It was entirely unfair. I flushed, knowing I probably looked like a drenched rat. How totally embarrassing, to look as bad as I knew I did surrounded by a buffet of Culleny hotness.

There was a blur of motion that I barely noticed, then I gasped as I suddenly realized that Jasper was gone. Wow. I knew they were fast but seeing it for myself put it in a very new perspective. Was I really going to be going that fast as well? I swallowed hard, wondering if I could handle it after all.

Emmett noticed my worried expression. "We won't be going at quite the same speed." he assured me, then turned to Edward. "So do you want to do the honors, or should I?"

Edward inclined his head towards Emmett. "You can take her."

"Alright then." Emmett turned around, then knelt down. "Hop on, kid."

I have to admit, my face nearly turned purple as I climbed onto Emmett's back and wrapped my legs around his waist. I hadn't taken a piggyback ride since I'd been about six, and this was so different, so..._intimate_. I was once again extremely grateful for the jeans I was wearing. I would have died trying to do this in a skirt.

"Hold on tight, Elisa." Emmett warned me, then suddenly, without a second's notice, we were flying.

It felt like both hours and no time at all before I felt Emmett slow beneath me. The trees became visible again now that we were moving at a speed where I could actually register them, and then we were stopping. I'd completely lost sight of Edward, but he was there as well, appearing almost as if by magic at our side. Emmett knelt down a bit so I could slide off his back, and turned to me with a near invisible motion as my feet hit the ground.

"You OK?" He asked.

"That was AMAZING!" I cried in response, my heart pounding in my chest. "It was _so_ much fun...like flying!" My head suddenly whirled, and I stumbled. He caught me before I fell, his eyes sparkling.

"OK, so it was a little...extreme." I admitted, blushing. "I loved it though! I want to do it again!"

Emmett laughed out loud now and patted my head fondly, turning to grin at Edward. "She's so cute! Can we keep her?"

Edward gave him a hard look then turned towards the road, inclining his head. "I think Jasper's coming now."

The sound was loud enough that even I could have figured that out. Long before the dingy brown car appeared around the bend in the road, we all heard its engine sputter, clicking and clacking as it shuddered along. Finally, it came into view, Jasper barely visible behind the rain pelted windshield, and gasped to a stop next to us.

Emmett and Edward both looked completely disgusted. "Jasper, what is _this_?" Emmett complained as he yanked open the passenger side door.

Jasper glared right back at him. "I told you there wouldn't be a lot of choice. The only other option was a spray painted Volkswagen van that was in about two hundered pieces. I didn't think you all would want to wait while I tried to reassemble it."

Edward pressed his lips together, looking like he'd rather cut off a vital body part then ride in the hunk of junk Jasper had stolen. "It will have to do then." he muttered finally. "Who wants to sit where?" He gave me a wary look and I suddenly realized he didn't want to sit beside me. That stung, and I shot him a dirty look to mask the hurt.

Emmett noticed too. "Sit in front, Edward. I'll ride in back with the _oh so scary _little girl." His voice was mocking, and I felt a rush of fondness for him, even if I didn't love him calling me a little girl. At least he didn't seem to think I was a total freak...even if I was.

We climbed into the back and I noticed Emmett's face twisting in disgust as we settled against the seat. Before I could ask him what was wrong, Edward turned to Jasper as his brother struggled to restart the car.

"What is that _stench_?" he demanded, his voice as disgusted as Emmett's face had been.

Jasper just gave him another '_shut up about the stupid car' _look in return. Emmett took a cautious sniff, as if checking the air, then shuddered. "I believe that is the aromatic aura of feral cat." He turned to me. "Sorry that you have to inhale that, Elisa...at least we don't have to breathe if we don't want to."

I shrugged, turning to stare out the window as we began to move. "I don't smell anything." As the scenery began to roll by -slowly- my excitement began to rise once again and I twisted myself until I was on my knees, turning in the seat to look out the back window. I couldn't believe my good fortune -I was going to the Cullen house and I wanted to see everything on the way. This was a trip I was going to remember forever.

"Elisa." Edward snapped from the front seat. "Sit down and put on your seatbelt."

"Why?" I asked, rubbing the fog off the window so I could see better. "Is Jasper planning on getting into an accident?"

"Elisa!"

"Fine." I slumped back down in my seat, frowning, and put on the threadbare seatbelt that was so loose I'd fly out of it any way during an impact. "_Kill joy_." I whispered quietly to myself.

Emmett heard me, of course, and chuckled. "He's no fun, is he?"

"No." I still hadn't forgiven Edward for getting so mad at me back in the forest, despite his what I suspected was a less than sincere apology. I knew it was childish, but he had really hurt my feelings, besides nearly scaring me to death. His current attitude wasn't making it any better either...he was starting to remind me of my father.

"Well, now when you go back to wherever it is you came from, you can set everyone straight and tell them that _I_ am the most fun Cullen of them all. Don't forget to throw in studliest as well." Emmett winked at me.

Twin snorts came from the front seat. Jasper turned his head to look at me. "Excuse me, but Elisa has seen enough to know that I am _clearly_ the superior brother. I am head and shoulders above you both. Literally." His eyes crinkled and for the first time, I saw he had the tiniest of laugh lines. So quiet Jasper had a sense of humor after all...that was more then I could say for Edward. I shot another dirty look at his back, and almost as if he'd sensed it, he turned and looked at me.

"Considering the fact that Elisa traveled to Italy, however unconventionally, to save _my_ life, I really don't feel the need to get into this childish boasting match with you two. Obviously only one brother is worth risking a nasty confrontation with the Volturi for. I win." His voice was smug and I gritted my teeth.

"Ha! That was then, this is now. Elisa doesn't like you anymore. Does the phrase _mean, uptight jerk _spring to mind?" His voice was amused. "She likes me better now, don't you, Elisa?" Emmett beamed at me.

"Yes." I said immediately. _Suck on __**that**__, Edward Cullen. Good looks don't get you everything. _My thoughts were just as smug as Emmett's face until Edward's eyes widened.

"They don't?" He asked me innocently.

I nearly choked. "You heard that?" I burst out.

He grinned. "Why, yes, as a matter of fact, I did. What exactly is it that I'm supposed to suck on?" Beside him, I saw that Jasper's shoulders were shaking with silent laughter.

Turning bright red, I wished I could sink through the floorboards and disappear. "I thought you couldn't read my mind!" I wailed.

Edward frowned slightly. "The flashes that I'm getting from you are getting clearer, but it's mostly an occasional word here or there. This is the first time I've been able to make out a full phrase, except for when you were...ahem..._scolding_ me back in the forest."

So his ability to read my mind was getting stronger. That totally sucked. I sat back and folded my arms across my chest, not even bothering to disguise my scowl.

"Elisa." Edward's voice was gentler now as he addressed me again. "I'm flattered that you think I'm good looking." He smiled angelically and as hard as I tried to stay mad at him, I could feel something inside of my chest melt. "And I am very sorry if I'm coming off as...well, a bit of a grouch. This is just a very unusual situation we've found ourselves in with you. I'm not exactly sure how to handle it."

Just as I was about to embarrass myself by dissolving like a chocolate bar in the sun at his words, the car shuddered so hard that the vibration went right through me. For a minute, I thought it was going to grind to a complete stop, but after a moment of complaint, it kept going, jerking us every couple of seconds as it staggered down the road. I didn't want to say it out loud, for fear of getting my head actually bitten off, but I had a feeling that even_ I _could outpace the speed at which we were traveling.

Edward seemed to be thinking the same thing as he turned to look out his side window, scowling. "This is_ intolerable_." He grumbled as he stared outside. I thought I caught a couple of other phrases, like '_shoddy American workmanship' _and '_can't believe he stole a Dodge' _but I couldn't be sure.

Suddenly, his profile brightened. "Stop the car!" he cried. Jasper slammed on the brakes and our stolen goods creaked to a grateful stop. I had immense doubts about whether it would restart-why had we stopped here?

"Be right back." Edward said cheerfully as he opened his door. I stared out my blurry window but he was already gone.

I was just about to ask Emmett what was going on when he grinned and pointed out the window. "Perfect!" he crowed.

I squinted my eyes, and saw a gray car coming down a side road so narrow I hadn't noticed it amidst the trees before. "Is that _Edward_?"

Jasper nodded as he opened his door. "Yes, the boy finally made himself useful. Everyone out!"

We all climbed out of the rickety car and waited next to it until Edward pulled up a few seconds later, looking very pleased with himself. "There was a house back there, and they very thoughtfully left this nice piece of Japanese machinery at the end of their driveway. Now we might actually get home sometime before tomorrow."

I couldn't help but smile as once again, Emmett and I climbed into the backseat. Edward refused to give up the wheel, so after a few seconds of mild snarling Jasper climbed reluctantly in the front passenger seat and we were moving once more. The contrast between the speed at which we were moving now and the speed at which we'd trudged along before was massive. Edward was pushing the gray car to its limits and it was almost flying along, the scenery such a blur now I couldn't make out an individual piece of it.

As we drove, Edward pulled a small silver cell phone out of seemingly nowhere. "We should be close enough to get a signal now." he murmured, more to himself. He dialed once, using only one finger that moved so fast it was barely visible. "Carlisle?" he asked after a moment, and I was so surprised that I jumped in my seat.

"Listen, Carlisle, we're on our way back to the house. We ran into a...complication." I saw his eyes briefly look at me in the rearview mirror. " No, I can't explain now. Would it be possible for you to leave the hospital early and meet us at home to discuss it? Good...we will see you there." He flipped the phone shut. "He's on his way."

I swallowed hard. I was so happy, yet completely nervous. I was actually going to meet Carlisle. And Rosalie. And Esme...and I'd get to actually talk to Bella and Alice this time...I couldn't believe it! It would be just my luck to wake up now, just as my long-time dream were about to come true...

At that thought, I remembered the anxiety that seized me earlier and it began to well up again as I sat there, pushing the anticipation away. Why _hadn't_ I woken up yet? It had been hours...the longest I could remember ever being in one of these dreams was what...half an hour? Forty five minutes? Something was wrong; it had to be.

I recapped to myself what I knew. I'd gone shopping, talked to Rae about something that I couldn't remember, then...what? I concentrated. For the smallest moment, there was a sudden flash that didn't make sense, one that involved shock and fear...one that involved me flying. No...that couldn't be right. I was having flashbacks of the run through the woods I'd just taken.

I searched my mind once again. I must have gone home and gone to sleep. That was the only possible scenario. Except...why did I not have any memory of it? I thought harder, then a horrific idea struck me. What if I _wasn't_ asleep? What if I had really lost my mind after all, become a babbling idiot right in the middle of Horton Square, and was now sitting in a padded room, imagining all this? My hands began to shake. It couldn't be true...I wasn't crazy. Was I?

It was a relief when Emmett gently nudged my shoulder, releasing me from the horrifying images that were racing through my brain.

"Elisa, we're here." His voice was gentle as his window, indicating that I should look out it.

"Great." I said, distracted still, but then I saw we had turned and were going up a long, tree studded drive and in the distance, I could see the most beautiful white house I'd ever seen in my life. It was so much more majestic then I'd ever pictured it. My jaw dropped and I was suddenly so dizzy with anticipation that my head swam and suddenly I didn't care whether I was crazy or not-I wanted to be here and no place else in the world.

I was about to meet the family.

_**To Be Continued**_

Again, I always love hearing what you think. Please let me know.


	11. Chapter 11

_Welcome to Chapter Eleven of my Twilight fanfiction, Extraordinary. I'm sorry this took so long but I've been distracted all day and this chapter was incredibly tough to write. As always, I thrive on the feedback you give me and would to hear your thoughts. Enjoy! :D _

_Twilight, its characters, and its storylines are Stephenie Meyer's invention. I'm just borrowing them for the duration. _

_**Extraordinary: Chapter Eleven:**_

_Let me take you up these stairs  
Let me introduce you to another world  
Let me lead you through these doors  
Let me tell you of the stories that they keep..._

**'This Strange Place', Wolfstone**

A sudden thought occurred to me as we rolled down the endless driveway towards the white house in the distance and I tore my reluctant eyes away from it to look back at Emmett.

"Why didn't the rest of the family, not Bella, of course, but everyone else, go hunting with you guys? Didn't they need to, um...eat?"

"Carlisle had to work. Dr. Snow has been on vacation and he agreed to take some extra shifts." Edward spoke up before Emmett could. "And the others wanted some 'girl' time, as they called it, so they sent us away." He chuckled. "Alice will not be pleased that we've returned so soon. Luckily, we have you to distract her."

I would have asked him exactly how I was supposed to distract Alice, but suddenly I caught sight of the immense porch as we came closer, and who was on it, waiting for us. I gasped loudly.

"Carlisle beat us home." Emmett said unnecessarily as I tried not to hyperventilate. He looked at me with a bit of concern. "There is no reason to be frightened, Elisa. Carlisle is very gentle. He would never hurt you." He patted my head.

"I know." I wheezed. Well, I thought I knew, anyway. Just wait until he heard the insane reasons I had for knowing all about him and his family-he might decide the pacifist lifestyle wasn't for him after all.

Belatedly, I realized the car had stopped, and a wave of panic swept over me. I wanted this, but I was _so_ not ready. I almost wished I was back in the forest with the bear. At least I knew what _it_ wanted to do with me. I was walking into the complete unknown, and it was suddenly terrifying.

Emmett gently tugged me out of the car, seeming to realize that I wasn't going to unfreeze and move by myself. Jasper and Edward had already made it to the bottom of the front porch, of course, and were waiting for us. I hurried forward with Emmett by my side, probably lurching like Frankenstein or something as they all watched, because I felt like my legs had gone numb.

Once the four of us were together, we began to walk up the porch steps. I allowed myself a timid look at Carlisle's face as we approached him. He was just as gorgeous as the rest of them, maybe even more so because there was just something so...regal about him, as if he were a secret monarch forced to hide his true identity from the world. His eyes, darker than his sons, were fixed on my face. As I watched, an elegant eyebrow raised into a perfect arch. He looked at Emmett, Edward, and Jasper as we reached his level, and they all suddenly stopped moving. I did too, watching as his arms crossed his chest.

"Explain." That simple word held the weight of true authority, and I shivered slightly.

"We will." Edward said immediately. "But may we get her inside first? She's been out in the storm, and we need to get her warmed up."

Carlisle's face instantly softened as he took in my bedraggled state. "Of course. Forgive me for forgetting my manners." He extended an elegant hand towards the door. I shuffled along after the three younger Cullens, with Carlisle behind us.

I couldn't stop staring once we were inside the foyer. From the little I could see from where I was standing, dripping rainwater all over the brightly polished hardwood floor beneath my feet, the interior was just like what Bella had described, but it was so much more amazing to see it for myself. It was so _modern_. I had never really pictured it that way...I'd always thought it would have more of a vintage feel but that wasn't the case at all. It looked like the place a movie star would live, some place that only existed to be photographed in magazines.

Just as I realized that Edward was no longer standing there with us, I heard an indignant shriek from someone I couldn't see in the room beyond.

"Edward! You weren't supposed to be back until tonight!"

Edward didn't respond, or at least not that I could hear, and I turned my attention back to Carlisle, expecting to see him still staring at me. When I looked though, he was standing very close to Jasper and Emmett, their lips quivering rapidly. So the explanations had already begun. I clenched my teeth nervously.

"Come along, Elisa." Suddenly, Carlisle was in front of me, gesturing me to follow him. So he knew my name now...I shuddered to think about what else he knew.

As we were walking into the enormous main room, I realized it had gone very quiet. I tensed...but then I saw them, and every single other thought flew out of my head.

Three females were standing, as if they had jumped up from the huge beige couch behind them. On the coffee table before them was arrayed a huge mess of open magazines and plastic binders, but I barely registered that. All three of them were staring at me, and I was staring right back, my eyes feeling like if they got any wider they might actually just roll right out of my head.

Alice was the closest to me. As I turned my eyes on her, taking in every detail from her short hair to the rose colored, off the shoulder top she were over the tightest of jeans, she looked back at me, seeming completely stunned. There was a sudden blur of motion from behind me, then Jasper was by her side. She turned to him as his arm slid around her waist.

"What...who..?" Alice seemed almost at a loss for words.

"I take it you didn't see her coming." Emmett chuckled from behind me and the second female I'd been staring at raised her head, her eyes burning into mine before she shot him a perturbed look. Rosalie. Shockingly gorgeous...it seemed impossible that beauty that extreme could be real.

"Carlisle..." The third female spoke, and I turned my eyes to her. Esme...as sweet looking and lovely as if she'd just stepped off a movie screen. She looked just as surprised as everyone else about my presence, but the look on her face was much more concerned then Alice or Rosalie's had been. "What is this?"

"I'll explain." Carlisle indicated that they should turn their attention to him, but Esme shook her head.

"I'm afraid explanations will need to wait. Whoever this child is, she's soaked." She looked at me. "You poor thing, you must be freezing. Come with me, and I'll get you warm and dry."

I was about to tell her I felt fine and she didn't need to bother, but suddenly my attention was diverted by the person I'd previously missed seeing. She was standing behind the sofa, the only person in the room who seemed completely oblivious to my unexpected arrival, and I could see why. Edward was in front of her, staring down at her as if he hadn't seen her in years and needed to memorize every tiny particle of her face. Bella was staring back at him with nearly the same awed expression as he gently stroked her cheek. Wow...she was so much prettier than she'd ever given herself credit for. Her skin was flawless, and her hair, like Jasper's, was longer than I'd expected. It flowed to the middle of her back, slightly wavy, and I could see strands of glittering auburn woven through the rich brown.

She and Edward were speaking quietly, but in tones human enough that I could hear for once.

"I'm so glad you're back." she breathed quietly as she leaned closer to him. "Alice was driving me _crazy_."

Emmett gave a deliberate, loud cough, and the two of them jumped as if they'd completely forgotten that they weren't alone. "Sorry to interrupt your Jack and Rose moment, but don't you want to introduce Bella to our guest, Edward?"

They turned to me, and I had never been closer to fainting as I was at that moment, when Bella Swan's eyes met mine, widened, and then her jaw dropped. "Edward...what's going on?" she gasped out.

"I think that's what we'd all like to know." Rosalie said, her voice icy. _Now_ I felt chilled. I shivered slightly and Esme noticed.

"You can tell everyone who she is and what she's doing here while I clean her up. Then you can tell _me_." Esme smiled into Carlisle's face for a moment, then put a hand on my back and gently propelled me towards a door across the room.

The door opened up onto a massive bathroom, easily half the size of my bedroom back at home. Esme quickly grabbed a large towel off the long rack on the wall and handed it to me. "Try to dry your hair. I'm going to see if I can find you some warm clothes-I'll be right back." She hurried out of the room, but didn't speed away...obviously she didn't know yet how much of herself she could be around me.

I shook as I rubbed the towel over my hair, but it wasn't from the chill. It was funny, but despite the apprehensive shivering Rosalie had caused in me, I really didn't feel cold at all. I should have been miserable...after all I was a California girl and I considered any temperature below 75 degrees to be unbearably frigid. Of course, it wasn't like anything had exactly been normal for me lately either...my bizarre immunity to the cold was just another oddity in a long stream of weirdness.

Esme bustled back into the room then, interrupting my thoughts. "Here you go...I noticed you aren't much bigger than our Alice, so I thought maybe some of her things might fit you." She smiled at me sweetly as she handed me a small perfectly folded stack of clothes, then backed out the door. "We'll be waiting for you when you're finished."

Very much afraid now of the conversation that must be going on while I lingered in the bathroom, I quickly ripped off my soaked sweater and jeans, dried my damp skin quickly, threw the cream colored shirt Esme had given me over my head, and struggled into the pants, which were just a touch too small for me. After much sucking in of my stomach, I managed to get them fastened anyway, then hung up my wet clothes as neatly as I could, and opened the door, my heart pounding.

They were all waiting for me as I re-entered the room. I could feel my face turn scarlet under their scrutiny. What must they be thinking? A quick sideway peek at Rosalie's clenched jaw told me it probably wasn't anything good. I kept my eyes averted from her after that, settling on looking at all the other faces surrounding me. They were still intimidating, but the expressions were more of confusion and curiousity then anything else, while Rosalie looked like she'd like nothing better than to throw me back to wherever I'd come from.

"So, Elisa..." Carlisle waved me forward. "You know my sons, I take it, but come meet the rest of the family."

Esme came forward to take my hand first. "It's very nice to meet you, sweetheart." Her motherly attitude was reassuring, but beneath the kind expression I sensed a bit of wariness. Carlisle must have told her what Emmett, Jasper, and Edward had said about me. Everyone in the room must have thought I was completely insane.

Next, Alice came forward to peer at me as she took my hand, pressed it lightly, and then released it. "Nice to meet you, Elisa." she murmured softly, then hurried back to stand next to Jasper. It was incredibly bizarre to think that_ I _could make _Alice_ nervous.

Another quick glance at Rosalie's glaring expression told me she certainly wasn't coming over to make nice, so that left just one person to be formally introduced to. Edward came forward with her, a protective hand on her back as she stepped towards me.

"Hi, Elisa. I'm Bella...it is nice to meet you." She raised her right hand to shake mine, but as she did so I was completely riveted by a distant sparkle. Forgetting to reach out and return her greeting, I stared, open-mouthed, at her left hand, and what was on it, gleaming in the dim light streaming through the windows.

"Are you alright?" Edward stared at me over Bella's shoulder, looking a bit worried at my stunned expression. That was enough to get the excitement inside me to explode.

"The RING!" I squealed at the top of my lungs. "You're wearing your ring!" I started jumping up and down, completely unable to help myself. "I don't believe it! You're ENGAGED!! You guys are getting married-_to each other_! Omigosh, I am SO happy for you!!" I was squeezing her hand now, and then hugging her, completely lost in the moment, until I registered the shocked, disbelieving expression on her face.

The realization that I was acting like the biggest spaz that had ever twitched their way across the earth crashed into me when I saw the thunderstruck expressions all around. My own face flamed, and I wished, more than anything, that my alarm clock would ring or my mom would shake me awake. The universe just couldn't be cruel enough to leave me stuck here, not when I had just made such a supreme fool of myself.

The fact that Bella was blushing too, looking nearly as embarrassed as I felt, made me feel the tiniest bit better. I calmed down enough to force myself to give her a small, apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry." I blurted out. "I just...um...I just really think it's great that you two...I mean, I hadn't realized that..." I broke off, knowing it was useless. I could not tell her what I really meant. The last time I'd visited their world, Bella was saving Edward from the Volturi. Clearly, a lot of time had passed, if she had her ring now, and was wearing it openly. Wait...she _was_ wearing her ring! And that meant...no, it couldn't mean that...but it must! It meant that she'd already told Charlie she was engaged! She and Alice must have been going over wedding plans before we got there-it meant that I was now dreaming about _a_ _timeline that hadn't happened yet!_ At least not in my world, anyway...

I could feel myself getting breathless with excitement once again, but I fought it down, seeing the way everyone was still looking at me. I tried to finish my sentence to Bella and force it to make sense. "Anyway, um...congratulations. That's all I was really trying to say." I cringed a little at how lame I sounded.

"Um...thank you for your...enthusiasm." Bella said weakly. I noticed her taking a small step back towards Edward. That's right...move away from the crazy girl. They were probably all thinking it, too. It was _so_ humiliating.

Carlisle cleared his throat quietly and we all looked at him. He stepped forward, towards me.

"I see that what the boys have told me about you is true." His voice was quiet, musing. "You seem to have a great deal of familiarity with us."

"Um..." I didn't really know what to say to that. "I guess so."

"Of course, we don't have that same advantage when it comes to you." he added smoothly, giving me a contemplative look. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, Elisa?"

I had no idea how I could give acceptable answers to the tough questions I knew he would ask, but there wasn't really a choice. I nodded. "Sure." My voice was just a squeak.

He looked for a moment like he was thinking of where to begin, then focused again on me. "How old are you?"

Well, at least that was an easy one. "I turned fifteen about three weeks ago, on March 5th."

Carlisle's perfect eyebrow began its climb upwards again. "It's _June_, Elisa."

Crap! Snared on the first question...just my luck. "Um...yeah, I guess so. _Here_, anyway." Mentally, I kicked myself. Oh, that was smooth. I was _such_ a half wit.

Carlisle was staring at me as if I was something alien, yet fascinating. "Here? Well then...where are you from?"

"San Diego." I mumbled, hoping he would be satisfied with that.

"You're a long way from home." he said, still looking at me with that compelling stare.

"You have _no_ idea." I mumbled to myself.

"San Diego?" Emmett repeated from across the room. I looked up at his bewildered expression. "_San Diego _is this mythical place where everyone knows about us?" He gave me a disbelieving, almost hurt look, as if he thought I'd tricked him somehow.

"Well...um..." I was really in deep now.

"Hey!" Alice said brightly. I looked at her suddenly cheerful expression. "If we have to take her back there, I'm driving! I haven't had a chance to break in my Porsche yet." She grinned impishly.

"We may just have to do that." Carlisle agreed. Then he looked back at me. "Your parents must be very worried about you."

"Er..." I wasn't getting any more intelligent. We were in dangerous waters now, and I was perilously close to drowning. I was going to have to tell them everything. And then they were going to know I was far more insane then they could have imagined. They were totally going to have to kill me and hide the body-I just knew it.

"I think the best thing we can do is contact them." Carlisle was pulling a cell phone out of his pocket now. "What is your phone number?"

"Uh..." I blinked rapidly to keep myself from tearing up at the thought of what was coming. "That's not really going to work."

Carlisle looked up at me, one finger poised over the number pad. "Why not?"

I gave Emmett a desperate look. He was the only one who might forgive me for what I was about to say. "Did I um...ever mention the part where the San Diego I'm from is in an alternate reality?" I gave them a shaky smile, the last one I'd probably ever feel on my face.

For a moment, there was a moment of complete silence, then Edward groaned loudly. I looked over and saw that he was pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefingers. "I don't believe it." I heard him grumble to Bella. "I think she's actually giving me a _headache_."

As if his words were a signal, everyone started to talk at once but Carlisle held up a hand and quiet reigned immediately. He turned back to me.

"Alright, Elisa." His words were calm and deliberate. "Let me see if I understand everything. According to what you just said, and what you told my sons, you knew about us through some local stories, perhaps some type of urban legend, is that correct?"

I nodded. Well, it was _almost_ correct, anyway. I wasn't about to tell them their life story had been on the New York Times Bestseller List.

"OK, then." Carlisle was amazingly collected as he recited the proof of my insanity. "So you knew these stories about us, but apparently, to you and everyone in...your reality, they were fiction. However, you began to have dreams where you could actually visit the world where we exist and even affect it, to the point where it even changed your own existence. Am I understanding this correctly so far?"

I nodded.

"So you inadvertently put in motion a chain of events that resulted in the death of my son, Edward." He continued, and I heard Bella gasp. I looked at her to see that her face had turned completely white. I felt guilt stricken. Edward squeezed her hand reassuringly, and I forced myself to turn back to Carlisle.

He was still talking, not seeming to have noticed that my attention had wandered. "So then, you became obsessed with fixing this mistake, and you, for lack of a better word, _willed_ yourself to once again dream about our world, and you were able to go back to the same event and fix your error. Is that correct?"

I nodded again, staring down at the floor now. I could almost physically feel their doubt pressing in on me...I I didn't have to see the looks on everyone's faces anymore to know what they were thinking.

To my surprise, Carlisle now turned to Alice, then to Bella. "Do either one of you remember seeing her at the airport when you transferred planes in New York City on the way to Florence?"

Alice and Bella exchanged looks. Bella was the first to respond. "I'm sorry, Carlisle...she could have punched me in the face that day and I probably still wouldn't remember her. I had...other things on my mind." I saw Edward flinch ever so slightly at that.

I sighed at her response. Bella had pretty much been my only hope of verifying that part of my story...she'd looked directly at me. I could understand why she wouldn't remember though.

"You, Alice?" Carlisle turned to her.

Alice was looking me over carefully. "I was also very distracted but...perhaps..." She peered at me closely.

Hope surged just a little in me. "I was in front of you on the escalator. That man tried to block your way with his bag, remember?" I looked at her, keeping my fingers mentally crossed.

Sudden recognition dawned on her face. "Yes! You pushed him out of our way! It was a good thing too-I was about to snap. I think I would have hurled him over the side if you hadn't been there." she chuckled drily.

Bella was nodding too now. "I do remember that! I still don't really remember any faces around me though...everything was such a blur." I remembered her miserable, terrified expression that day and could completely understand what she meant by that.

I saw that nearly everyone else looked stunned at hearing actual confirmation that part of my wild tale was true. Carlisle merely nodded.

"So we can accept that. And Edward, you saw her in Italy?"

Once again, Bella looked completely stunned at this statement. Apparently, Edward had been in such a hurry to share his version of my story with Carlisle that he'd forgotten to fill her in on some of the finer details.

Edward was speaking now. "Yes. She was in the alley...she came from behind me, from the direction of the Volturi tunnels. I thought she had been sent by them. She tried to stop me from..." Bella was actually shaking now and he gave her an anxious look. "Well, you all know."

Bella gasped again. Now her brown eyes were fixed on me. "You were _there_? You tried to _stop him_?" she choked out.

I squirmed under her penetrating gaze, rocking back and forth slightly where I stood. "I didn't mean to...I didn't want to interfere. But the clock was tolling and you hadn't come...I thought that I had screwed everything up again, stopped you from getting there somehow. So I tried...well, it didn't help, of course. If you hadn't shown up-" Her face went even whiter and I immediately bit my tongue.

I started to apologize, but Bella was already talking, in a low, halting voice almost as if she'd forgotten the rest of us were there, listening.

"I was so scared. I knew I wasn't going to make it. I heard that bell tolling and it was too late...there was no way I could get there fast enough. I wanted to die too." Her voice was barely a whisper now. Standing next to her, Edward looked absolutely devastated at her words. I could almost feel the guilt and shame rolling off of him, but she was still lost in her memories, her own eyes haunted, and she didn't look at him. Instead, she suddenly looked back at me.

"You slowed him down long enough for me to get to him." Her voice quavered.

I didn't want her misplaced gratitude. "I seriously didn't." I shook my head. "He barely noticed me. I couldn't have gotten in his way for more than a couple of seconds."

Bella's eyes were filled with tears now. "It was enough." She whispered, then suddenly, she dashed towards me and hugged me quickly. Her cheeks were rosy as she pulled back. "Thank you, Elisa. I could never repay my debt to you."

I was immensely touched and flattered, but I knew I didn't deserve her thanks. She was reading far more into the tiniest of moments than was actually there. "Really, I-"

Edward cleared his throat loudly and I looked up at him, surprised to see he was actually smiling at me. "Just say 'you're welcome', Elisa."

"Oh. Um, you're welcome." I gave her a shy smile, which she returned as Edward pulled her back towards him and wrapped a protective arm around her waist.

I looked back at Carlisle and suddenly he smiled too. "You can be assured, Elisa, that her sentiments are echoed by all of us."

There was a murmur of assent and my face bloomed once again. I could have sworn that Bella threw me a sympathetic look. I think Carlisle saw my clear embarrassment as well. He began to speak once more.

"Let's move on. So you were in Italy, and that is the last time anyone in this room encountered you until today, when you made a surprising appearance in the forest where Emmett, Jasper, and Edward were hunting. I understand you had a rather close encounter with an irritated grizzly while you were there."

There were gasps at this, I think from Bella and Alice.

"Yes, she did." Emmett's voice was cheerful again now. "It would have had her for dinner if I hadn't caught up with it in time." He shrugged modestly, seeming to forget the bear wouldn't have come running at me in the first place if he hadn't been playing with it.

"Just what we need, another human with an addiction to near death experiences." Alice laughed, and Bella blushed once more. This set nearly everyone chuckling, except for Rosalie, who had seated herself near the wall and was watching us with cold eyes.

"Aw, don't feel bad, Bella." Emmett teased. "She didn't come with any werewolves, sociopathic trackers, or hordes of angry newborn vampires, so you're still our favorite."

Bella blushed even more, and shot him a murderous look. It only made him laugh harder.

"If we could get back on track..." Carlisle's voice caught everyone's attention. He was looking at me now with a very serious expression on his face, and my skin crawled in anticipation of what he might say. "It seems clear to me that either Elisa has a well-stamped passport, unlimited traveling funds, and extremely permissive parents or...there is something _unusual_ about her."

He looked at me even more intensely then he had before. "Elisa, have you ever, before these last few...odd experiences, noticed anything different about yourself? Perhaps something you couldn't understand, maybe dreams that came true before or...well, anything really."

"Um..." I thought hard for a minute, and a far away memory flickered like the flame of a wind-blown candle, then died out just as quickly, before I could grasp it. "I don't think so. Before this last week, my life was just...normal." I sighed.

"Hmmm. Well, it could be that you have a trait that is just beginning to manifest itself. It would be almost an appropriate time, considering your age and the fact that you're just starting to reach maturity." He fell silent, seeming deep in thought.

I tried to understand what he was saying and failed miserably. "Huh?" It wasn't the most intelligent of responses, but it summed up what I was thinking.

Almost everybody else in the room looked just as confused as I was, but I saw something on Alice's face, almost like recognition, as whatever Carlisle was getting at dawned on her. It was on Edward's face too-he was staring at me like he'd just seen me for the first time.

"Elisa, it is undeniable that you know facts about us that is just impossible for anyone to have guessed or found out in stealth. You have shown an amazing ability to transport yourself to key events in our lives and become a part of them. You also seem to be able to block others from using their abilities on you. I believe you might have, well...a talent. A special gift, like Alice, Jasper, and Edward possess."

I stared at him, completely taken off guard for a moment. "No way!" For a moment my heart beat like crazy, considering the possibilities. Me? Special? Like...them? "But wait...that can't be." I burst out. "Doesn't that only happen when you become a vampire?"

Carlisle nodded. "Usually. It is most definitely strengthened at that point. However, Alice's talent manifested when she was still mortal." He nodded towards her.

"That's right!" I exclaimed. "How cool!" Then I remembered what had happened to Alice because of her 'gift', how her parents had locked her away in an asylum, and flushed as I looked at her. "Oh, probably not so much for you, I guess." I blurted, then winced again. Why couldn't I ever shut up? If I had really did have a talent, it was probably just the uncanny ability to say exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Alice laughed lightly. "That's OK, Elisa."

"Wait a second." Jasper stood up. "Carlisle, how then do you explain her story about being from an...alternate universe?" He stared at me, then back at his adopted father.

"Well..." For the first time Carlisle looked uncomfortable. "Having something like this happen to you, especially at your age, Elisa...it can be very unsettling. Perhaps there is an urge to make sense out of it. To even to lose yourself in a fantasy, leaving behind the reality you can't deal with. It's perfectly understandable. Anyone going through what you are might do such a thing."

"Oh." My shoulders slumped as disappointment sunk in. I understood now. Carlisle was wrong. I wasn't special or gifted. He was merely trying to explain away my appearances in his family's life in a way that he could accept. I could see how, in his world, my having some kind of power would seem far more reasonable then the idea that I had floated in from another reality. But it wasn't true...I wasn't extraordinary. I was just me, average, scatterbrained, potentially delusional Elisa, and I had to tell them that, whether they believed me or not.

"What you're saying is, I'm crazy." The words that came out weren't the ones I intended, and I couldn't help the tears that filled my eyes.

"Elisa, I wouldn't say that at all." Carlisle's voice was soothing.

"I would." A glacial voice spoke, and I jumped. It looked like Rosalie had finally decided to join the discussion. She got up, as graceful as a Queen in her castle, and strode over to us. "I'm also quite comfortable using words like unbalanced and demented as well ."

Rosalie flashed a cold smile my way, then it faded as she turned back to Carlisle. "You can't possibly believe any of this. I think Edward was right the first time. She was sent here by the Volturi, or someone who wants to fool us into trusting her. She's **dangerous**, Carlisle. We _have_ to get rid of her." She turned her piercing cold eyes back in my direction. "The sooner, the better."

I had never thought golden eyes could look so frozen, but Rosalie's eyes were hard and inpenetrable, not a bit of warmth in them that I could see. There was no doubt that she meant what she was saying.

Just as I had thought I might be safe, I was in more trouble than I had ever been before.

_**To Be Continued**_

In Chapter 12, time is running out for Elisa, and the last thing she needs is to be on Rosalie's bad side...

Please feel free to leave me comments or questions-they are always appreciated. :)


	12. Chapter 12

_**Well, this is about it, folks...Extraordinary is almost over. This is the second to last chapter. I have really enjoyed writing this story and I appreciate so much the feedback I have received. Please continue to send me your comments-it's very inspiring to me. **_

_**As always, Twilight, its sequels, characters and storylines belong to Stephenie Meyer. **_

_**Extraordinary: Chapter Twelve**_

As I walk the road there before me a shadow  
from another world, where no other can follow.  
carry me to my own, to where I can cross over...  
close to home - I cannot say.  
close to home feeling so far away...

_Enya-Evening Falls_

"Rosalie..." Carlisle's voice was firm, but calm, as he crossed the floor to stand in front of her. "Think about what you are saying." Everyone else had turned to look at her as well, and I saw her eyes turn to even icier gold as she absorbed the stares.

"You are the ones who aren't thinking!" Her voice was rising now and I shrank back from her anger. "It is so easy for you to stand around and look at me like I am so horrible, but I am the one who is thinking about the best interests of our family!"

Rosalie looked around once again, meeting the eyes of everyone in the room except for mine, and her voice changed from anger to almost pleading. "Don't you all see? We can't keep doing this! For decades we did what we were supposed to do. We kept our secrets, we stayed in the background, we sacrificed so much to hide what we really are! Then Bella comes along, and all the rules go out the window..."

From across the room there came a low growl and Rosalie whipped around to face Edward, who had a protective arm around Bella. Bella had paled slightly, looking at Rosalie with anxious eyes, and his lip was curled in a slight snarl as he stared at his beautiful sister.

Rosalie held up her hands appeasingly. "I have accepted that Bella is different, Edward." Her tone was both pacifying and defensive. "She's a part of our family." She turned in that disconcertingly quick manner that they all had and looked at me, her face once again hard. "But this girl...she's _nothing_ to us. We don't know who she is, where she really came from, or what we can believe. And I, for one, don't care. She could expose us. Even if that's not her goal, and she is exactly who she says, the Volturi will not accept that we are harboring yet another human who knows what we really are! It's not worth the risk! Why are we all standing around debating about her story and her origins? Let's just get rid of her already! It's for the best...it's for all of us!"

Rosalie turned back to Carlisle and once again her voice was pleading. "Please, just listen. Our family is everything to me! It's all I have...it's all any of us have. If protecting that means I have to say the unspeakable, that I have to make the hard decisions, then I will do it. The question is, will the rest of you?"

For the first time, Carlisle looked agitated. His own eyes were cool as he looked into Rosalie's. "I have never been responsible for the death of a human. Are you really suggesting I change that now, and begin with this...child? This..._innocent_?"

"Some innocent. She doesn't even _smell_ like a normal human!" Rosalie spat, looking at me with disgust. Then she looked back at Carlisle. "I'll do it. You don't need to be involved."

I began to shake, feeling the fear once again enter every pore of my body. She was serious...deadly serious. And worst of all, she was making sense, even to me. They really didn't know anything about me...I was a complication that none of them needed.

Carlisle's eyes were flashing now as he stared back at Rosalie as fiercely as she was at him. "Are you seriously suggesting I just stand back and let you have free reign with this girl's _life_? Is that really how you think I keep my hands clean?"

"It's absolutely _not_ an option." Esme agreed, her own voice hard. She came to stand next to me in a flash, her hand stony but reassuring on my shoulder. More voices were chiming in now, Alice's, Jasper's, Edward's, even Bella's, and I felt an immense wave of relief that weakened my knees. They were speaking _for_ me. My eyes prickled with grateful-and guilty-tears. They were willing to risk so much for me, for a stranger, when all I had done was mess up their lives. I didn't deserve it.

"You are all _fools_." Rosalie's voice was rock hard and furious now, cutting through the other voices in the room, and I began to tremble again. Esme's hand tightened on my shoulder.

There was a sudden blur of motion and then Emmett was there, standing in front of Rosalie, his hands gentle on either side of her face. She glared at him with betrayed eyes as he stared into her face.

"Rosie." His voice was barely a whisper, and I had to strain my ears to hear it. "Listen to me."

"Don't call me that." she snapped at him, still glaring.

"Rosalie..." His voice was coaxing. "Look at me. Do you trust me, angel? Do you?"

She blinked and tried to pull away, but it seemed like his hands tightened, holding her into place. "Answer me. Do you trust me?"

For a moment she was silent and hard as ever. Then I heard her exhale slowly. "Don't do this to me, Emmett. You know I do."

"Then listen to me. This girl is not dangerous. I know it. Jasper and Edward read enough off her to know that she's telling the truth about how she got here, or at the very least, she believes she is. Besides, I trust my gut, and it tells me she's not a bad kid. As for what we're risking...Rose, think about what _you'll_ be risking if you do kill her. I know you, angel. You'll never forgive yourself, no matter what kind of show you put on, and I won't let you go through the rest of forever suffering for it. Do you understand me? I'd rather die then see you do that to yourself!"

For a moment, they just stared at each, a silent stand off, Emmett's golden eyes burning into Rosalie's darker ones. Then slowly, so slowly it was almost invisible to the human eye, Rosalie's tense frame began to relax. I watched as her face softened in a way I would never have believed it could. She reached up and gently pushed Emmett's hands away, then stepped back.

"Fine." Her voice still had an edge, but it was tinged with surrender. "Fine. Do what you want with her. I won't get in your way." She stalked across the room and sat herself on the arm of the couch, staring at all of us with unfathomable eyes. "I really hope you have a plan, Carlisle." Emmett followed her, standing behind her to rub her shoulders. It seemed like all the tension drained out of the room at her words, or maybe that was just me imagining it, as relieved as I was.

Carlisle cleared his throat, looking eager to change the subject now that Rosalie had backed off of the whole 'kill Elisa' plan. "I'm not exactly sure what to do with her, actually." He looked at me. "I think our priority should be getting you home."

"Good luck with that." I muttered to myself. Of course, they all heard me, except for perhaps Bella. I didn't know why I even bothered trying to be subtle around a bunch of vampires.

Carlisle chose to ignore that. "Elisa, what I would like you to do is give me your parents' names and phone numbers, plus some other information. I would like to try and contact them."

I stared at him. "But I told you that-" I looked at his closed expression. "OK, whatever." I clenched my teeth, but I couldn't keep any good show of anger up. I was just too drained.

"I give up. You're right...you have to be right. I imagined this whole dream thing, the alternate universe, everything. I'm crazy...I accept it now." I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him a desperate look. "So you're a doctor...fix me!"

Carlisle chuckled at that, although I couldn't find anything remotely funny about it. "Elisa, I truly do not believe you are crazy." There was a snort from Rosalie's direction, but we both ignored it as he continued to speak. "Let's just start with the basics." Out of almost nowhere, there was a small pad of white paper and a pen in his hands. "Can you give me your information?"

I sighed, and then nodded. As I gave him my parents' full names and my address, his hands flew so fast across the paper that he was done writing almost before I had finished speaking each word. He wanted to know a lot more than I thought...the name of my high school, my parents' work addresses and phone numbers, even the name of my doctor. I knew it wouldn't do him any good, but I gave him everything he wanted. With a nod to me, he stood up.

"I'll be in my study, making a few calls. Elisa, why don't you sit down and make yourself comfortable. This shouldn't take too long." With that, he was gone.

"Elisa, come here and sit down." Esme led me over to the couch, sitting me at the furthest point away from Rosalie, I noticed. "Can I get you anything? Are you hungry, or thirsty?"

"You have food?" I blurted out, surprised.

Bella and Edward laughed from their position behind the couch. "At least one of us does eat, Elisa." Edward's voice was teasing.

"Oh." I smiled a little myself. "Um, no thank you. I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure?" Esme pressed.

I nodded. "Yes, but thank you though."

For a moment, awkward silence reigned in the room. Alice and Jasper seemed to be talking in their own private corner, but of course I couldn't hear anything they were saying. Bella and Edward were quiet. I stole a tentative look at Rosalie and Emmett. He winked at me; she glared. I quickly looked away.

"So, Elisa..." Esme seemed to want to break up the tense quiet. "Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"

I looked at her, perplexed. Hadn't I just spent the last half hour doing that?

Esme seemed to understand my confusion. "I don't mean about...well, the things we've already discussed. Just about you...your family, your hobbies, things like that." She smiled reassuringly.

I was absolutely sure that no one there was interested in my boring real world life, but it seemed polite to try and make conversation, so I did my best. "Well, um, I'm a freshman at Patrick Henry High in San Diego. I live with my parents, and I have a little brother, Colby, who is a total pain. I have a cat named Snickers, and my favorite thing to do is read. Oh, and I think I made the cheerleading squad for the next school year, but I won't find out until next week."

There was a chuckle behind me and I turned around to see Edward smiling down at me. "A cheerleader whose favorite hobby is reading. That's...different." His voice was just the slightest bit mocking, but it was enough to get my temper to flare.

"Stereotype much?" I snapped, turning enough so that he could see the annoyed expression on my face. "Why does everyone just assume that because I want to be a cheerleader it means that I'm totally shallow? I have layers, you know...like Shrek!"

Everybody burst out laughing at this, with the exception of Esme, but I saw her lips twitching. Even Rosalie looked amused. I felt my face burn again-I hadn't blushed this much since my sixth grade ballet recital, when I found out I'd been dancing in front of an auditorium full of people with a wad of toilet paper stuck to the back of my costume.

"It's not funny!" I burst out, completely about to die of humiliation. "I mean...well, you know what I meant!"

Suddenly, Alice was there, gliding smoothly to the couch and sitting down between me and Rosalie. "Of course we do." Her eyes sparkled. "We're just enjoying that you are so very..._fifteen_. I was beginning to think that modern day teenagers were all shockingly mature." She tossed a look at Bella over her shoulder and laughed.

"Oh, well..." I felt slightly mollified. "Thank you, I guess-hey! Are you calling me _immature_?"

Everyone laughed again...it was highly annoying, being such a constant source of amusement for them. Luckily, I was saved from proving my complete immaturity with a huge temper tantrum by Carlisle's return. Everyone fell silent, looking at him expectantly as he glided back into the room to stand in front of us.

"Did you find her parents?" Esme asked.

Carlisle hesitated, then shook his head. "No. They are not in the San Diego directory, nor are they at any of the phone numbers that Elisa gave me. No one that I was able to get a hold of at those numbers had any idea who I was talking about." He sighed heavily. "I also did a records search on the computer. There is no record of Elisa's parents at the address she gave me. There _is_ a Patrick Henry High in San Diego, but no Elisa Jensen is registered there. I also checked for birth records for the entire family with the names she gave me...there are none. It's like none of them exist at all." He looked at me.

My eyes began to well with tears as he spoke. I had known that he wouldn't find anything, but still, hearing it for myself really hurt. I couldn't deny now that I had begun to hope that I really had imagined everything. That somehow, this universe was still my reality too, that my parents were just a few states away rather than a few worlds. That maybe I could just open the door, get into Alice's car, and go home, but I couldn't. I was stuck there, and I didn't know why, or how.

Rosalie hissed softly from where she was sitting, distracting me. "That means nothing, Carlisle. She could have easily given you false information."

"I didn't!" I burst out. The tears overflowed and began to spill down my cheeks as I jumped up and whirled to confront Rosalie. Somewhere deep down I knew aggravating her all over again was an incredibly stupid thing to do, but I couldn't help myself. "If I'm such a liar, how do you explain any of this? How was I able to be in New York, and Volterra, and now here? How do I know everything about you? How have I been able to get out of so many life or death situations without a scratch? I got away from Jane, and I fell out of a tree in the forest, a really big tree, and it didn't hurt me at all! I don't even know if that bear would have been able to actually kill me, but I'm really glad I didn't have to find out. And why is it that Jasper and Edward can't read me? It's not because I'm special like Bella or any of you, it's not because I can block them! It's because I'm not really here!"

My anger began to drain as I realized the truth of what I was saying, and my voice quieted. "That's it! That explains so much!" I stared around the room at their faces. "Don't you understand? This is a dream to me, and in dreams, things don't work like they do in real life. You don't actually get hungry, or cold, or hurt in dreams, even if you think you do. That's why you can barely smell me. It's why I feel so strange...because really, I don't feel anything. Not physically, anyway. I don't actually exist here! I'm just...I don't know, visiting or something! Don't you see it now?"

I stared around at their disbelieving faces and once again the energy began to drain out of me. I slumped back down onto the couch, feeling dangerously close to tears. "Fine, don't believe me! I don't even care anymore. Eventually I'm going to wake up, you know, and you'll see I'm right, because I'm going to fade away right in front of you. You'll find out then that I was telling the truth the whole time."

Alice suddenly gasped. "What did you say?" She turned to me, her eyes wide.

I gave her an angry look. Did she really expect me to go through it all_ again_? I pressed my lips together, refusing to speak but she looked too shocked to be offended. "Fade away? Is that what you said? That you just...what, disappear?"

I knew this had to be a trick question somehow, but I nodded anyway. "Yes." I said, my voice defiant.

Alice jumped to her feet. "I think I...wait! I'll be right back!" With that, she sped out of the room, just a blur in my vision. Bewildered, we all stared after her, but we didn't have to wait long to find out what she was going on about. In seconds, she was back, clutching a shiny silver laptop computer in her small hands.

"Look at this!" Her words tumbled over themselves in excitement as she set the laptop on the coffeetable and turned it on. Everyone began to crowd around as her tiny fingers sped over the keys, opening browser windows. Finding what she was looking for, her eyes flickered over the screen for just a second, then she looked up, her expression triumphant.

"This article caught my eye a while back and I bookmarked it to show to Bella, but I forgot all about it with everything else that has been going on. I just thought it was so funny that supposedly this happened the day we were in New York...I'm almost disappointed that we missed it. Anyway, look!" She turned the laptop so that we all could see, and I craned my neck as I leaned forward.

It was an short, online news article, but the headline was what made me gasp.

**'Ghost Girl' Terrifies Passengers At La Guardia Airport**

**New York-Wednesday, April 12. **

**Nearly a dozen passengers at New York's La Guardia Airport reported seeing a 'ghost' yesterday in one of the terminals, some even going as far as to contact airport security over the incident. According to eyewitnesses, the apparition of what appeared to be a young girl was seen in a main terminal, appearing completely normal to the passengers one moment, then slowly disappearing before their eyes.**

**"It was the oddest thing I've ever seen." An airline passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, stated. "I walked past her, and she seemed completely normal. Next thing I knew, I could see right through her! I tell you, she looked just as surprised as I did, like she didn't expect to see any of us there either."**

**Mrs. Nora Trecht, who was traveling home to St. Louis after visiting relatives, even managed to use her camera phone to snap a shot of the alleged ghost, capturing an indistinct, blurry image of what appears to be a transparent human figure. "The picture didn't come out as clear as I would have liked, but I'd swear to anyone that she was there, clear as day, right in front of all of us." Mrs. Trecht said.**

**Despite the photographic evidence and the many eyewitness statements, airline officials aren't accepting a paranormal explanation for the sighting. **

**"We're looking into it, but it's not a big priority." Bryan Handler, La Guardia's head of security, is quoted as saying. "It's most likely a well-thought out hoax." **

**When asked if a hoax affecting so many passengers would be considered a breach of security, considering that La Guardia is one of the U.S.'s busiest airports, Mr. Handler declined to comment further.**

"And there's the picture!" Alice tapped the right side of her screen. Sure enough, there was a small black photograph accompanying the article. I leaned forward, eyes wide, and stared at it. I couldn't believe it. The photograph _was_ blurry...so blurry it was hard to make out any distinct features at all, but I knew exactly who it was. It was me. It was from that day, at La Guardia, when I'd been wandering the airport after Alice and Bella had left, just waiting to wake up. I stifled an unwilling giggle, remembering what the one passenger had said about how I'd seemed just as surprised as they were. I had been...watching myself fade away as I woke up from my dream had definitely been one strange experience.

"I don't believe it!" Edward was speaking now. He turned to stare at me, then looked back at Carlisle. "It's her!"

"Are you sure?" Bella peered at the photograph closely, squinting. "It's really blurry...it's almost hard to tell whether it's male or female."

Edward nodded. "Our eyesight can make out far more details than yours can." He told her, his voice just a trifle bit smug again. Bella and I rolled our eyes at the same time, then caught sight of each other's expressions and laughed.

"That has to get_ really _annoying sometimes." I said, and she nodded, still smiling. Edward looked a bit taken aback.

I turned to Carlisle. "It is me. I told you...when I wake up, I guess I just fade away. You believe me now, don't you?"

Carlisle exchanged a long look with Esme, then expanded it to include everyone in the room. "I have to admit, I am completely at a loss for any other explanation." he finally admitted.

Slowly, other heads began to nod. Alice turned her head and eyed me speculatively. "I'm with you, Carlisle. I can't think of anything else to explain this either. Unless..." she looked at me with the hint of a smile on her face. "You're not really a ghost, are you, Elisa?"

I laughed. "Not that I know of." I looked back at the screen. "I can't believe they wrote an article about me! Do you think my picture will be on Ghost Hunters?"

Emmett snickered quietly and I flushed. "OK, so maybe that shouldn't be my priority."

"Our priority still is to figure out what to do with you." Carlisle mused. The room fell silent for a moment, everyone seeming to concentrate.

"Well, I vote for putting her in a weighted sack and throwing her in the river." Rosalie said brightly. Everyone turned to glare at her, except Emmett, and she shrugged, unperturbed. "But of course, no one ever listens to _me_."

Emmett caught my anxious eyes and winked. "She's joking, Elisa."

"Really?" My face darkened. "I didn't know she knew how to do that." I said pointedly.

Rosalie scowled at me for a moment, then her face brightened again. "You know, I think there might be something to the ghost theory." Her voice was innocent...too innocent. "It would explain a lot, don't you think?"

"I think she's a little too corporeal to be a ghost, Rosalie." Jasper rolled his eyes.

"Really?" Rosalie leaned forward and peered at me. "I don't know...she's looking a little fuzzy around the edges to me. Let's check." Suddenly, she reached forward and pinched my upper arm..._hard_.

"OWWWWW!" I screeched, pulling away from her. "Watch it...I might need that arm someday!" I grabbed my elbow and turned my arm to survey the damage. I couldn't believe how much it hurt...I could feel that little pinch from the tips of my fingers all the way through my shoulder. Sure enough, there was a large, swollen red spot on my skin that was already beginning to bruise in front of my eyes.

"Rosalie!" Esme gasped. "Why did you do that?"

"Sorry." Rosalie looked entirely unrepentant as she smirked at me. "I was just making sure."

"That really hurt." I grumbled, still looking at the rapidly forming bruise. Then I gasped. "Hey! It actually hurt!"

"Rosalie, you really shouldn't have done that." Emmett told her softly. She frowned at him.

"No, that's not what I meant!" I stood and turned to Carlisle to try and explain. "I told you I didn't feel anything, remember? This is the first time something has actually hurt me in my dreams...well, except for Jane." I grimaced at the memory.

"Jane?" Carlisle suddenly looked stunned. "Do you mean _Jane of the Volturi_?"

Duh, who did he think I meant? "Um, yeah, didn't I tell you that?" I was still absorbed in my arm injury and what it could all mean.

"Wait, wait, wait." Edward was walking around the couch now to face me. "You said a couple of things about that, but I didn't...well, I should have asked. You encountered _Jane_?"

Everyone was staring at me now as I slowly processed that this was apparently huge news to them. "Hello, I was in the alley in Italy, remember? Unfortunately, I was too busy watching Bella save you from your grisly death to remember that they were going to show up. They came from out of nowhere." I shuddered a bit, remembering what a narrow escape I'd had.

"And Jane hurt you?" Carlisle was still staring at me.

"Well...no, not really. I mean, she was getting ready to give me the mental smackdown but I woke up first. It still hurt a bit though.. it's almost like there's pre-pain before the main event, you know what I mean?" I shivered, almost feeling that spiky, pain-filled heat coming in my direction once more.

Edward nodded solemnly. "I know _exactly_ what you mean." I saw that next to him, Bella had gone white once more.

"Explain this to me again." Carlisle regained my attention. "You got away from Jane-by _waking up_?"

I nodded. I would have liked to have said it was through something far more brilliant on my part, but there was no substitute for the truth. "My alarm clock went off and I woke up in my own bed." I shrugged. "Just like in the airport, except it was a bit faster."

"I see." Carlisle still looked a bit flummoxed. "So you believe you're sleeping now, correct?"

Gah! How many times did I have to say it? "_Yes_." I hissed through gritted teeth.

Carlisle exchanged long looks with Jasper and Edward, then looked back at me. "Elisa, how long do you generally sleep for?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Well...um..." My voice trailed off as all the times I'd asked myself the same question over the past few hours came back to me. "I don't know. I..."

"Elisa, what's wrong?" Carlisle's voice was gentle.

I gazed back at him with blurry eyes. "I don't know. It's just...I don't remember falling asleep before I got here, and I don't really understand why I haven't woken up by now. These dreams I've been having, they've never lasted this long." I twisted my hands in my lap.

"There are other things that are different as well, I mean different then your previous experiences, right?" Carlisle looked at me. "For instance, we've all noticed the weak scent of your blood, but Edward says you had _no_ scent when he encountered you in Italy."

I nodded, not sure what he was getting at. "Jane said that too." I admitted.

"Nor could Edward read your mind while in Italy, but there's been at least two occasions where he was able to do so today." Carlisle pressed his long fingers together, his eyes far away.

"Three." Edward corrected. I looked up at him, startled, and he smiled slightly. "A few minutes ago, when you were getting so upset at Rosalie. I heard you then, too."

Carlisle looked at Jasper and he nodded. "I felt her as well."

Carlisle turned to look at them. "What about now?"

Edward and Jasper immediately shook their heads. Carlisle was quiet for another moment, then looked back at me. "It is also odd that Rosalie was able to hurt you, when you hadn't been able to experience pain at all before, except for what Jane would have dealt, and that is a different type of pain, pain that exists only in the mind. I wonder..." his voice trailed off.

"You wonder what?" I demanded, and his eyes returned to me.

"I think perhaps you were just a projection in our reality before, if we can accept that you really are from where you say you are. But now...it almost seems that you are becoming more...invested in our world."

"What?" My voice was shrill with bewilderment. "What do you mean?"

Carlisle almost seemed reluctant to look me in the eye. "Elisa, it seems that you are becoming more-well, _real_, for lack of a better word."

I stopped breathing for a moment as the realization of what he was saying hit me. "You mean, like instead of a dream person or whatever I am, I'm becoming like..." I struggled for the right word. "Like I'm really here? Physically, and everything?"

Jasper was nodding now. "It makes sense. And..." he inhaled, and his eyes widened. "Her scent is getting stronger. Have any of you noticed?"

Almost to a one, they inhaled. Bella and I exchanged wide eyed looks, and I suddenly wished I was sitting by her. Sitting in a room with a bunch of vampires who were breathing in your scent was extremely un-nerving.

"It's true." Esme looked shocked. Everyone else was nodding. "It _is_ stronger."

Alice was agreeing as well. "Not nearly as powerful as a normal human scent, but she is definitely easier to smell then she was earlier. Why, Carlisle?"

Carlisle was shaking his head. "I don't know. I think only Elisa can tell us that."

I gaped at him. "But I can't! I don't know why either!"

Carlisle gave me a long look. "Why don't we try a little experiment, if you don't mind? It seems that you become easier to read when you're upset. Would you be willing to try and see if Edward and Jasper are able to read you again?"

"Um...OK. How?" I shifted nervously in my seat.

Carlisle nodded to Edward and then they switched positions, Edward coming to stand in front of me. Jasper walked over to stand behind him.

"Well, since two of the times that I was able to read you were when you were angry with me..." Edward grinned. "I suggest we work with that. Why don't you try to remember how you felt then...be mad at me. Insult me, if you'd like. I promise to not let it hurt my feelings." His eyes danced merrily.

I felt far more nervous than angry at the moment. Was this going to work? Did I really want it to? I moistened my lips and then took a deep breath. "OK." I said again. _Edward Cullen is a jerk_. I recited in my head. I looked at him...no reaction. I tried again. _Edward Cullen is a smug, insensitive-_argh!Why did he have to look right at me while I was trying to be angry with him? His eyes were still sparkling, and he had the most adorable half smile on his face. It was entirely distracting. Trying to not think about that, I attempted it once more. _ Edward Cullen is completely rude, __**gorgeous**__, condescending,__** totally sexy**_... Ugh! I so didn't want him to read my mind...I'd almost rather they took me back to the forest and let the bears have me.

"This isn't working." I snapped, hoping they would think I was turning red from the effort and not from the contents of my own traitorous mind.

Edward and Jasper exchanged looks, then Jasper spoke. "Alright, Elisa, let's try something different. Why don't you think about things that bother you in general...bad memories, things that make you angry, anything of that nature."

I sighed. Did I have to? I looked at the assorted Cullens, and Bella, then sighed. Well, they'd saved me from Rosalie's wrath, so I supposed I owed them. "Alright, here I go." I muttered reluctantly. Things that bothered me...hmmm.

_Let's see...last week Michelle spilled nail polish on my favorite jeans and didn't even say sorry...I think I'm going to fail math...my only boyfriend dumped me two months ago because I wouldn't let him stick his disgusting tongue down my throat...my dad hates me..._

"Your father hates you?" Edward interrupted, his eyes widening.

I gasped. "You heard that?"

Edward nodded. "Just that one little bit."

He looked at Jasper for confirmation, and Jasper nodded. "Felt it too...she's pretty upset about it."

"Um...great." I said hurriedly. "Let's try again."

"Wait a second." Esme leaned forward, her kind face concerned. "Do you really think your father hates you, Elisa?"

"Well...maybe not...I mean he..." I sighed in defeat. "Yes. I really do think he hates me." I stared at the floor.

"Why would you think that?" Bella burst out. "I mean, my father isn't the most talkative, and he does have a temper, but I know that he loves me. Maybe it's the same for your father-maybe you just don't know how to communicate with each other."

I sighed. "Bella, you don't have to live with my father. Believe me when I say it's different." _It's not like he wishes I was dead or anything. _I thought to myself glumly. _It's more like he wishes I had never been born._

"Elisa..." Edward's eyes were sympathetic now. "I'm absolutely sure that's not true."

I glared at him. "Experiment's over." I snapped. "Get. Out. Of. My. Head."

"Yes, this has been interesting, but let's try something else now." Carlisle said hastily, reading the anger on my face. "Why don't we try exploring what you _don't_ remember?"

Anything to get off the current topic of conversation. I nodded. "OK, but how?"

Carlisle looked again at Edward, then back at me. "Just think back. Try to remember everything that you can, and then push it a little..try to go beyond."

I took a deep breath. "Alright. Do you want me to do this out loud or in my head?"

"Either way." Edward answered now.

Speaking it out loud was easier for me. "Um, I went shopping at Horton Plaza. I wanted to find something to stop me from dreaming." I ignored the surprise on their faces. "I was afraid of what would happen if I interfered again, and I was just so worried that I was losing my mind. So I went into this shop and bought a book on meditation. The lady there said if I could relax my mind maybe I could start controlling my dreams. Then I left her store to go meet my friends and...that's it. I don't remember anything else."

"Try harder." Carlisle urged.

I did try, straining to think back. What was it that I had a vague recollection of? Something to do with Rae...

"Who is Rae?" Edward asked.

Grrr...he was getting too good at this. "One of the friends that I was meeting. She..." I bit my lip. "She was upset with me because...because I was late!" I snapped my fingers triumphantly. "She called me on my phone and told me to hurry, so I was walking and..." There it was again, the wall that stopped it all. "I can't remember anything else!"

"Elisa, you're blocking it." Edward's voice was patient, but firm.

"I'm not blocking you!" _Not that I wouldn't, if I knew how..._

"Not me...the memory." Edward's voice was still patient. "Something happened that you don't_ want _to remember. What was it?"

"I..." I closed my eyes now, trying to focus. "I don't know. I was walking and then..." I tried to remember if I'd ever met my friends. What was the last thing that I had done? "I was..." I struggled to bring the street I'd been on into focus in my mind. "I was at the corner. It was crowded. I was waiting for the light and it changed...I was trying to hurry...I didn't see it.." My breath was coming in shallow pants now and I suddenly knew Edward was right. I didn't want to remember this...

"Didn't see what, Elisa?" Jasper urged. Everyone was leaning towards me now, even Rosalie, waiting for what I was about to say.

"The car." My eyes were closed again and I felt a single tear slide from beneath my closed lids and down my face. I heard Edward's intake of breath and I knew I didn't really have to say it...he'd already heard the words in my mind. I said it anyway, almost to make myself believe it more than anything else. "I never saw it coming. I was in the crosswalk and I didn't know what pushed me, but then I was in the air and I...I hit something . The next thing I knew, I I woke up in the forest."

There were gasps in the room, but the only thing I cared about now was the huge revelation I'd just had. My eyes flew open to stare directly into Carlisle's. "So that's it, isn't it?" I choked. "I'm not asleep! I'm...unconscious! I got hit by a car and it knocked me out! That has to be it, right?"

Carlisle nodded slowly. "It must be. That would explain a lot."

"It would explain why I haven't woken up!" I exclaimed. For a moment I felt the most absurd sense of relief, then as I looked around at the expressions on their faces, it drained away, leaving a horrible, sinking feeling behind. "Wait...if I'm unconscious...if I'm hurt and I can't wake up...how do I get home?"

The pity on their faces said it all. Even Rosalie looked at that moment like she felt sorry for me.

I forced the words out, although my mouth was so dry I could barely speak. "I don't...do I?"

_**To Be Continued**_

In the final chapter Elisa says goodbye, but is she saying it to the Cullens, or to her old life?

_I hope you have enjoyed this story so far...please leave me feedback and let me know what you think._


	13. Chapter 13: Finale

_**It's the final chapter of Extraordinary! Thanks so much to everyone who has read and commented...it is what spurred me to finish this story so quickly. **_

_**I hope you enjoy the ending of my first Twilight fanfiction...please read my author's note (next chapter) directly after this and don't forget to let me know what you think!**_

Extraordinary Chapter 13: Finale

_I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems  
got to open my eyes to everything  
without a thought, without a voice, without a soul  
don't let me die here  
there must be something more_

bring me to life...

_Evanescence, 'Bring Me to Life'_

I stared from face to face, trying to understand the words that I had just spoken. "So...I'm stuck here?" I burst out. "I don't understand...why can't I wake up?" I chewed my lip for a moment as I thought about it, then gasped. "I'm not...a real ghost, am I? Am I _dead_?!"

There was a rush of voices at once, all trying to reassure me, but Carlisle's voice cut over them and all fell silent. "No, Elisa, I don't believe you're dead. If you were dead -well, as we discussed, it seems the longer you stay here, the more 'human' you become, for lack of a better word. I think that is because..." His voice trailed off, his dark eyes worried. He didn't want to tell me what he thought, that was clear, but it didn't matter, because I'd already figured it out.

"Because I'm getting weaker there. In my world, I mean. I'm not dead, but I'm..." I began to shake, feeling icy coldness spread from my toes to the top of my head. "I hit my head. I remember that, the noise that it made... and now, the stronger I get here, the worse off it means I am back home. I'm dying, aren't I?"

For a long moment, no one answered. Then Emmett moved away from Rosalie and over by me, patting my head hesitantly. "Don't give up yet, kid. If you're unconscious, you could wake up at any time, right Carlisle?"

I stared at Carlisle hopefully. The expression on his face wasn't encouraging. He looked as though he wished Emmett hadn't spoken. Nevertheless, when he spoke his words had the ring of forced cheer. "Of course she could. However..." his voice trailed off again, and I could tell he was reluctant to be the bearer of even more bad news.

"What?" I demanded through clenched teeth.

Carlisle sighed, exchanging a reluctant look with Esme. "If hours have really passed in your world as well as ours, it's not a good sign. You should have had at least brief periods of awareness by now. The longer you remain unconscious, the less optimistic the outlook is. I'm sorry, Elisa."

I could feel my face crumple, and for a moment, I buried it in my hands. The tears were hot in my eyes, wanting to pour down my cheeks, and I could feel the sobs that wanted to tear out of my chest, but I fought them back. If I let myself fall apart, then I was accepting this. It would mean that I had given up, and I could not do that.

"How can this be happening?" I forced out, looking at them. "If I'm dying, why am I here, getting stronger? Shouldn't I be...on my way to heaven or something? I mean, I wasn't that good of a person, but I wasn't really bad either...at least not fiery pit of hell bad anyway...why I am still hanging around?"

Carlisle shook his head. "You are asking questions that are far beyond my capabilities to answer, Elisa." He rubbed his forehead.

Over his shoulder, I saw Edward open his mouth as if to speak, look quickly at me, and then snap it shut again as if he'd had second thoughts.

"What?" I demanded, staring hard at him. "Don't hold out on me now!"

Edward exchanged a look with Bella, then sighed and looked back at me. "I was just thinking that...well, I can't explain any of this either. I know that none of us can, but I believe that you are here because you wanted to be here, Elisa. Every single time you've come into our existence, it's because you made a choice to do so, whether you realize it or not. When you were hurt, you chose to return to us. I think for some reason you felt safe here." He smiled reluctantly. "Not the most logical thinking on your part, I have to point out, but nevertheless, it was _your_ decision."

"But how could I do that? Just..._will _myself here?" My voice was torn between confusion and anger. Why couldn't anyone say at least one thing that made sense?

Edward shrugged. "As Carlisle said, that is far beyond any of us to answer."

"No!" My voice rose to a near hysterical pitch and I jumped to my feet, unable to sit still any longer. "I can't die! I can't stay here! I'm only fifteen! Do you know what that would do to my mother? We're really close...well, at least we used to be before her job took over her life. What would she do without me? And Dad...well, ok, maybe he doesn't really like me but he'll always remember that the last time he saw me, we had a fight! He'll feel guilty...don't you think he'll feel guilty?" I stared at them through blurry eyes.

"Of course he will." Bella was the one who spoke this time. "He'll probably never forgive himself." The minute the words slipped out, I saw her bite her lip hard. "I'm sorry-I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's ok." I waved off her apology. "You're right. All I did my whole life was irritate him, and all I'm going to be able to leave him with is guilt! I can't do that to him! I can't let my life end this way!" I whirled and stared at Carlisle and Esme, who had been turned to each other talking softly. "Isn't there anything you can do? Help me figure this out, please!" My voice cracked on the last word, and the tears that I had been fighting back finally began to stream down my face.

Esme moved away from Carlisle and towards me, gently pushing me back until I was seated on the couch once more. "Elisa, we're going to do our best to help you, alright? Please, take a breath and try to calm down." she smiled encouragingly.

I did my best to follow her instructions, inhaling and exhaling deeply as I wiped my eyes. I was surprised to find that it seemed to be working. My breathing began to slow, my heart stopped trying to pound its way out of my chest, and my tears began to dry. As I relaxed, a sudden suspicion entered my head and I turned sharply to look at Jasper, who was leaning casually against the wall.

"Are you doing that?" I demanded.

Jasper smiled reluctantly, then nodded. "You seem a little less...resistant now." he said quietly and exchanged looks with Edward, who nodded.

"It's still a bit muffled, but I can hear almost everything she's thinking now." he told Carlisle. "And her scent..." he looked at me and quickly away, not finishing his sentence.

He didn't have to...I knew what he meant. I smelled more and more like a human that belonged in their world. And now that I thought about it, I realized just how much more..._vivid_ I felt. The arm that Rosalie had pinched throbbed more than ever...I was starting to suspect she'd done some lasting damage. That wasn't the only thing that hurt...my whole body ached, like one giant bruise. The pain wasn't as distinct as I suspected it was going to get, but it was definitely there. My stomach was churning violently and at the same time, I suddenly felt hungry, an unsettling combination. Most of all, I felt tired...so tired my eyes wanted to close right then. I fought to keep them open..now was not the time to collapse with exhaustion. I had to stay focused...I had to think of a way out of this and I had to do it now. I was running out of time.

"Alice." Carlisle turned to her, capturing my attention with the sudden urgency in his voice. "Since Elisa is no longer so immune to Edward and Jasper, what about you? Can you see anything that might help us?"

Alice looked at me, slightly hesitant. "I don't know, Carlisle. I never saw her coming at all...I think I'm blind to her, like the werewolves."

"That was before." Jasper spoke now. "Try again...see if anything's changed. If you can see something it might give us a clue, tell us what we need to do to help her get home."

Alice looked doubtful, but she nodded. "Alright." She stared across the room and for a moment, I turned my head to see what she was looking at before I realized her eyes had gone empty, her face completely blank. A long moment passed, the room so quiet now that I was almost afraid to breathe, then Alice gasped slightly and opened her eyes. For just a moment she looked startled, disoriented, and then her face smoothed out and she exhaled slightly.

"Alice?" Carlisle raised an eyebrow. "What did you see?"

"I..." she stared at me for a moment, and I could see that she was debating on speaking loud enough for me to hear. Impatience surged within me...it was my life, and I had no time for her to be secretive.

"Please tell me!" My voice was louder than I wanted it to be, and I flushed as everyone turned to look at me. "Sorry." I whispered. "I just..really need to know. Please, Alice."

Alice took a deep breath, exchanged a quick look with Carlisle, then nodded. "I'm sorry...I didn't see what we could do for Elisa, to get her back home. What I saw was a glimpse of her future..." She paused for a moment. "_Here_."

There was a collective gasp, mine being the loudest. At the other end of the couch, Rosalie hissed softly. I didn't look at her face, not needing to see the disapproval there. It was nothing compared to what I felt.

I couldn't stop myself from jumping to my feet again. "But...but...that's just one possibility, right? The future can be changed, can't it?" My voice was verging on the hysterical again, and suddenly I felt another calming wave sweeping over me.

"Thanks, Jasper." My voice was quieter now. Then I looked pleadingly at Alice. "Is it really set in stone?"

Alice shook her head. "No, of course not. You're right, Elisa. The future can be changed. The question is, how?"

Everyone looked back at Carlisle, and he sighed. "I don't know." he admitted after a moment. "I..." he looked at me. "The answer can't be something that we do for you, Elisa. It's what you need to do for yourself."

I stared at him. "I don't understand what you mean! If I could just...poof myself home, don't you think I would have by now?" I clenched my jaw.

Edward straightened up, shoving his smooth white hands into the pockets of the light blue pullover he was wearing. "You managed to get yourself here, Elisa. It would make sense that you could get yourself back."

"How?" I demanded, my temper rising. "Should I click my ruby red slippers together three times and say 'there's no place like home?' "

I glared at him. Didn't they see how hard I was trying not to fall apart? Didn't they realize that the last thing I needed was all the pressure put on my shoulders, like this was all my fault somehow?

"No one's trying to blame you, Elisa." Edward said, his voice softer, and I flinched as I realized my thoughts were completely clear to him now. "And we're not trying to pressure you. But if you got here through your mind...that's how you have to get back. I can't see any other way."

"But I don't know how to do that!" I wailed. "My mind, my consciousness, my spirit, whatever it is that controls me, that would tell me to wake up, is _here_! And my body is_ there_! I don't know how to put them back together!"

"Maybe we should knock her out." Rosalie spoke up from where she was still seated on the arm of the couch. Everyone turned to stare at her. "What?" she demanded. "A little brain damage apparently got her here, maybe it will get her back, right?"

"Rosalie..." Alice groaned through gritted teeth. "Could you please _stop it_?"

"Well, excuse me for being pro-active and coming up with a plan." Rosalie huffed. "No wonder I never try to help." She settled back, frowning, and began to study her crimson red nails as if she'd lost all interest in the conversation.

"Wait a minute..." Carlisle looked lost in thought for a moment as he stroked his chin. "That actually _was_ helpful, Rosalie. You've got me thinking now..."

"Thinking about what?" I burst out, alarmed. "Taking a baseball bat to my head?"

Over my shoulder, Emmett began to laugh, and I thought for just a second that even Rosalie had cracked a smile, though it was gone as quickly as it came. Carlisle chuckled drily.

"Of course not, Elisa. But ...wait, let me check something. I'll be right back." With a gentle rush of air, he was gone, leaving me to stare at the empty spot where he had been, bewildered.

Esme came to sit down next to me on the couch, patting my shoulder. "Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll figure something out. Whatever happens, you will be taken of. I promise." She gave me a sweet smile that I couldn't help but return, despite my fears. I supposed that I still had Jasper to thank for the fact that I wasn't in hysterics by that point. I was still very close to breaking down as it was, even with his soothing presence nearby. Just the thought of what could be happening at home at that moment...

Desperate for a distraction, I turned to Bella. "So um...Bella...how are the wedding plans coming along?"

She and Edward were standing with their arms entwined around each other's waists once more, talking in whispers when I interrupted them, and I felt bad for it instantly. Bella seemed like she needed a second to turn away from Edward and process what I had asked her, and then she grimaced slightly.

"They're coming along alright, I suppose. We just started making them, really. Or I should say that Alice has started...I'm pretty much just along for the ride."

"But you're excited, right?" I said, eager to lose myself in a hopefully long conversation about bridesmaids' dresses and cake flavors. Anything to stop myself from thinking about the doomsday clock in my head that was ticking down the last seconds of my real world life.

" 'Excited' is not quite the word I'd use." Bella said, and then mumbled something under her breath that I couldn't hear, but made Edward laugh. I almost asked her what she had said, but just watching Edward as he watched her, seeing the tender way he gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face, made me catch my breath. In everything else that had been going on, I'd almost forgotten why I'd been so drawn here in the first place. It was because of them...because they had shared a kind of love it was hard to believe existed in my real world, a love that I had wanted so much to see for myself. I had messed everything up so badly...but I'd managed to fix it again at least. If nothing else, even if I had lost everything in the process, they were back together again the way they should be. I had done one thing right...it almost made the rest of it worth it.

Edward abruptly turned his head away from Bella and looked directly in my eyes, and I pulled back, blushing. I'd forgotten that he could read my mind now, and I must have been thinking pretty loud. Quickly, I looked away from them, hoping he wouldn't say anything, and stared at the carpet near my feet.

"Elisa..." At the sound of Edward's voice, I realized my hope was lost. My face reddened as he came closer to the couch, then knelt in front of me, patiently waiting until I raised my head to look into his eyes.

"What?" I grumbled, preferring to sound angry over embarrassed.

He raised his perfect eyebrows. "Are you still mad at me?" He smiled angelically...oh, that boy was just too good looking. It so wasn't fair. He totally deserved for me to still be mad at him too, after he'd accused me of being with the Volturi, pretty much called me a liar, threatened me, and in general acted like I was a huge pain in his backside. He'd terrified me and hurt my feelings and...ugh, it was no use. I couldn't find any anger left in me as he gazed into my face...I could barely find any rational thought at all. I was _so_ weak.

His lips twitched as my thoughts stumbled over themselves, and my face grew even redder. Now I was starting to get a bit mad again...didn't he have any self-restraint? I didn't ask him to go poking around in my personal thoughts!

"Sorry." he shrugged. "I really can't help it. But that's not why I came over here. I really am sorry, Elisa. I know I may not have seemed that sincere earlier, but I do mean it. I sincerely regret frightening you and hurting your feelings. And I think I also owe you my gratitude."

"You do?" I mumbled, my mind melting again under his direct stare.

"Yes. Thank you for doing what you did back in Italy, for trying to stop me. I know I wasn't in the mood to listen, but it means a lot that you tried." His voice was quiet, thoughtful.

Bella came over then to stand behind Edward, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder. "Yes, it does...to both of us."

I was blushing even more now. "Um...well...you're both welcome." I mumbled. "Sorry I screwed everything up so bad in the first place."

Edward shrugged. "At least we don't have to carry the memory of it, like you do." He stood up, taking Bella's hand in one of his, then extending the other to me. "So am I forgiven?" His smile gleamed at me.

I smiled slowly. "If I am." I agreed, then took his hand. His hand was so cold it almost hurt in a way when his fingers closed over mine lightly and were gone just as quickly.

"Good." Edward winked at me. "Because I don't think I'd like having you as an enemy, Elisa. Who knows what you could dream up next?" He laughed softly.

My smile faded and I frowned at him. "Very funny." I snapped, but then I couldn't help but giggle too. He did have a point, after all.

The lighter mood was abruptly broken when Carlisle returned to the room and with him came all my fears and anxiety once more. For just a few minutes, I'd almost let myself forget what was at stake for me now...my world, my future, my family...my life. If Carlisle hadn't come up with a plan, I was stuck on my own in this world. Maybe it was too late for me already.

Too late I realized Carlisle and Edward were already deep in conversation, or at least Carlisle had been thinking and Edward had been responding out loud.

"I think that could work, Carlisle." Edward was saying. "As long as Elisa is cooperative, anyway."

I frowned. "Does this involve more of you nosing around in my mind?" I asked warily. I'd had just about enough mind exposure for one day, but if it was the only way to get home...

"No, not exactly, anyway. I'll just be a lookout...if you go off course a bit, I might be able to steer you in the right direction." Edward shrugged.

"Huh?" I asked blankly.

"What are you planning, Carlisle?" Esme wrinkled her nose as she gave her husband a suspicious look. Everyone else was looking at him too, waiting for an answer.

Carlisle took a deep breath. "Nothing too extreme, at least not yet. What I'd would like to do is try hypnotizing her. Rosalie's suggestion just got me thinking that perhaps, if Elisa was returned to a subconscious or dream-like state, she might be able to find her own way to waking up." He turned to me. "What do you think, Elisa?"

I thought for a moment, my heart skipping nervously. "Um...you know how to hypnotize people?" I asked curiously.

Carlisle shrugged. "I often teach self-hypnosis to patients that need alternative methods of pain or stress relief. This would be the same concept, except that you would be following my cues. Edward would be there, like he said, in case you have trouble focusing, and Jasper can help get you relaxed enough to accept my suggestions."

That didn't sound so bad, even if I didn't feel sure at all that it would work. "Wait a second." I frowned. "You said nothing too extreme...yet. Do you have a back up plan?" I scratched my forehead nervously.

"Well..." Carlisle frowned a bit. "If this doesn't work, if we can't get you deep enough, there are drugs that will put you in a dream-like state, but I'd prefer not to resort to that if I don't have to. For one, I don't have them here...I'd have to go get them. However, at least we know that we have that option if we need it."

"OK." I bit my lip. "What if neither one of those things works?" I tried to keep my voice calm.

Carlisle shook his head. "I don't know, Elisa. I just don't know."

"Let's not start doubting ourselves before we've even tried." Jasper spoke up. "And speaking of trying, we'd better get started. I don't think we have...well, let's just get this done." He gave me a faint smile, and immediately, I began to feel better, my anxiety easing a bit despite knowing what he'd been about to say...that we didn't have much time left.

"I think we'll take her into my study." Carlisle was saying now. "It will be quieter. I'd like just Edward and Jasper in there with us...the less distractions Elisa has, the better." He nodded at me to stand and follow him.

I was getting to my feet when Esme spoke. "Carlisle...wait!"

Carlisle turned, looking at her anxiously. "What is it?"

Esme looked at him, then at me for a long moment, her face torn. She turned back to Carlisle. "Are we doing the right thing?" Her voice was barely audible.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked before anyone else could. I saw Edward frowning as he stood with Jasper near the doorway, and realized he already knew what Esme was getting at. I, however, was at a complete loss. What did she mean by the right thing?

Esme was twisting her hands nervously, looking as though she didn't know how to say what she was thinking, but after what seemed like endless seconds she looked back up at her husband, her face determined now.

"Carlisle, you're a doctor. You know what kind of damage an accident like the one she had can cause. You have to tell her. Elisa has the right to know the possibilities before she makes a decision."

"Esme..." Carlisle's voice was a gentle warning.

Esme pressed her lips together. She almost looked angry now. "Fine...if you won't tell her, then I will." She turned back to me. "Elisa, I don't want to scare you but...have you thought about what you will be going back to? The consequences of your decision?"

"I...I don't understand." I stared at her dark golden eyes and worried expression. "The consequences of going home?" The only consequence I could really think of was that as soon as he was sure I wasn't going to die on him, my father would probably ground me for fifty years for being stupid enough to get hit by a car. Aside from that, what could be so bad about going home?

"Elisa, if you have serious injuries, your life might never be the same. You might be...paralyzed, for instance. You might have disabilities that will never go away. Or what if you're so damaged that you can't ever really wake up? You'll be stuck inside a mind and a body that doesn't work anymore! Maybe you were meant to come here, to have a second chance." She took a deep breath. "Maybe you should stay."

"You cannot be serious!" Rosalie was on her feet before my stunned mind could even process Esme's words. "Are you suggesting that she stay here...with_ us_?"

Esme whirled on her, her eyes flashing in a way that shocked me. I never thought such a gentle woman could look so fierce. "And what if I am?" she demanded. "Carlisle saved you, Rosalie. He saved Edward when he was on the brink of death. Both of you were so young...you had so much life left to live. She's even younger than you both were. How is she any different?"

"She's different because she doesn't belong here!" Rosalie nearly growled. "She has to go back! If she dies or suffers in her world, if no one intercedes, that's how it was meant to be!"

"Then why is she _here_? Where we _can_ intercede?" Esme challenged.

For a moment, Rosalie was struck silent, and Esme turned to Carlisle, her eyebrows raised in a silent appeal. They looked at each other for a few seconds length of time, then he nodded slowly. I stood there, stunned, my mind whirling as he looked around the room.

"Esme has made some very good points. I think Elisa should have the choice. We know how Rosalie feels about it, but does anyone else have any objections?"

Slowly, they all exchanged looks, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Edward, and Bella.

Emmett was the first to speak, looking directly at me. "I think Esme's right, Elisa. Maybe, for whatever reason, you were meant to be here. I think you should stay." Rosalie glared at him so angrily I was surprised he didn't go up in flames, and he shot her a quick look. His face was apologetic, but firm. "I'm sorry, Rose." he murmured quietly, his words not meant for my ears now. "But I think the kid should have a chance."

Carlisle nodded. "Alright. Anyone else?" He looked around the room. No one else spoke up to protest, but there was reluctance on the other faces. They weren't completely against the possibility of me staying, it seemed, but they weren't exactly jumping up and down for joy over the concept either. I supposed I could understand that-they didn't even know me, and out of nowhere came the possibility that I might be moving in.

As for me...my mind was spinning. This was a scenario that I hadn't imagined. Or had I? Why was I here in the first place? Because I had wanted to be a part of their world...I couldn't deny it anymore. Edward was right...I had come here out of my own free will. Now though, I had a choice. I could go home and risk being a vegetable for the rest of my natural life. Or I could stay here, in this strange universe that I had wanted so badly to be a part of...that perhaps I was _meant _to be a part of. Why else would I be here?

Carlisle cleared his throat gently. "Elisa, the last thing I want to do is rush you through such a tough decision, but I'm afraid we don't have much time left. If we're going to try to get you home, we need to do it now."

"I..." I wanted to stay. Didn't I? How could I take such a huge risk, to go back to a world where my life was no longer a certainty? What if I was just going back to suffer, or to die anyway? I was too young...how could it be fair that I might lose my life before I'd ever had the chance to really live it?

But what about what I would be leaving behind? I could see their faces so clearly in my mind. My mother, smiling that half-exasperated, half-amused smile she seemed to reserve only for me. My brother, who could be so infuriating, and yet so funny and so sweet sometimes. And my father...I tried to search my mind for a time that he had smiled at me or laughed with me, and it hurt badly to realize that I had none of those memories, not recent ones anyway. How could I leave it like that? He was my father...could I give up on him so easily? Could I really trade my whole family away for my dream life?

"Elisa..." Carlisle was waiting.

I lifted my head and looked directly at Esme. "You have no idea what it means to me that you would offer to let me stay with all of you. But I have a family that I'm meant to be with. I have to try to go home, for them." My whole body was trembling as I spoke, but I knew I was making the right decision, as painful as it was. "Thank you all though, for giving me the choice."

I looked around the room. "If this works, I guess I won't have time for goodbyes so I want to say them now." My face flushed a bit...I'd never been one who liked to make speeches but there was some things I had to say. "Um...I know you don't really know me but-" I looked down for a minute. "You all mean a lot more to me than you could ever understand. Even when I didn't think any of you were real, I relied on you and your stories, more than you could ever imagine. They got me through some really hard times. I just wanted to say thank you. I am going to miss every single one of you. Even you, Rosalie." I smiled through the tears that started to trickle down my face, and quiet laughter sounded through the room. Rosalie looked startled for a moment before her face smoothed out and became implacable once more.

I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes. "Well, I suppose this is goodbye then."

"Don't say that, Elisa." Alice spoke up now, her smile bright once more. "Maybe you'll come back again."

I blinked rapidly to keep even more tears at bay, and forced my voice to be steady. "I can't." I bit the inside of my cheek. "I've already done enough damage...I can't risk it again. Now that I know that I _did_ make the choice to come here, I have to make the choice to stop. I don't belong in your world."

Alice sighed, then nodded. "Of course...we understand." Her voice was gentle.

Next to me, Esme exhaled shakily. Out of everyone, she was the one who looked most upset. If she had been human, there might have even been tears in her eyes. "Are you _sure_, Elisa?" she whispered huskily. She reached out and squeezed my hand. "Truly sure?"

It was so harder than I'd ever thought...almost like being torn in two to have to make this decision. I forced myself to nod. "I'm sure, Esme, but thank you so much." I squeezed her hard hand in return, then let go and turned to Carlisle. "OK, let's do this then."

I let myself look back, just once, as Carlisle led me up the grand wooden staircase to the second floor to where his study was, Jasper and Edward following closely behind. Emmett and Rosalie stood, watching my progress in silence, both of their faces quiet. Emmett sent me a final wink. Alice waved a small hand in farewell, as did Bella. Esme tried to smile at me, but it looked as shaky as the one I forced back at them. The lump in my throat was ten times bigger as I forced myself to look away. There was no going back now.

The next few moments were pretty much a blur, probably because my eyes were still full of tears. Carlisle, Edward, and Jasper had a quick conversation that I didn't even try to follow, then Carlisle directed me to a long, stuffed recliner. I laid back on it, feeling self-conscious until a new kind of atmosphere began to creep up on me. The tiredness I had felt before was coming back...no, that wasn't it. I was feeling completely relaxed, so much so that my eyes didn't want to stay open anymore. Dimly, I was aware that Carlisle was speaking to me, telling me to focus on the sound of his voice, and that was easy now. It was the only thing I was aware of anymore. The room began to spin away from me...I was falling, falling into a sea of blackness...

The panic ripped through me, blasting away the peace, and I struggled to break free of Carlisle's rhythmic voice and the trance it had put me under. "No, no! It's dark there...I don't want to go into the dark!" I was aware of myself again now, sitting up on Carlisle's recliner, trying to get to my feet. "I don't know what's in there...don't make me go back!" My voice was raw with fear.

Their voices tried to calm me, and gentle but hard hands pushed me back onto the recliner. "Elisa, try to go beyond the darkness." Edward was urging me.

"I can't...I can't..." My voice was shaking, even as I felt that peaceful calm trying to overtake me once more.

"You can." Carlisle's voice was firm. "Think of your family, Elisa...try for them. Can you do that?"

I swallowed hard, and took a deep breath. "Just give me a minute." I whispered. "We'll try again." They nodded. I forced myself to lay still on the recliner, taking long breaths and thinking only the most shallow, random thoughts, not letting my mind even touch on the terrifying blackness that I was going to have to try and transcend in a few moments.

"Elisa, are you ready now?" Edward's voice asked me a moment later.

I looked directly at him. "I think so. There's just one thing I forgot to tell you, Edward." My voice was almost a whisper.

"What's that?" He asked, his eyebrow raised.

I grinned. "Emmett's still _way_ more fun than you."

His shocked expression cleared after a moment, then he laughed along with Jasper. "Alright, you got me. OK, now let's try this again." He winked at me this time, so much like his brother. "You can do this, Elisa."

I wasn't so sure...not even a hundred percent sure that I wanted to, but obediently, I focused on Carlisle's voice once more, letting Jasper float me away. There was that dizzying spiral again...the fall...the darkness was all around me now, sucking me in, and I felt the panic began to climb within me once more.

"Keep going, Elisa." I heard Edward's voice from somewhere far, far away urging me. "Fight it, get beyond it. You can do it..."

I tried...I was trying so hard but it was all I knew now, crowding out my vision, my hearing, my sight...my head was being filled with nothing but black and I knew at any moment a scream would burst out of my lungs and I'd be awake once more...

And that's when I heard it, a new voice, disembodied and distant, coming from the ebony ether all around me.

"Elisa, I know you can hear me..." It was my mother! She sounded like she was miles away but I could hear her, and she was talking to me...

"Please, Elisa, it's been too long. You have to wake up. We're all waiting for you to come home to us." Her voice was choked with tears. "Please, sweetheart...please, don't leave us..." Abruptly, her voice drained away and I was left lost once more in the black, her voice like an anchor that had been ripped away from me.

"Mom? Mom!" I was trying to speak, but nothing was coming out. She couldn't hear me, and I was pulling away from her now, as hard as I tried to stay. I was just too afraid to be alone in the darkness...

A new voice came now, and I stilled again, trying to listen. It was barely audible at first, like the sound of a muted conversation from a distant room, but slowly the words came louder and more distinctly.

"Elisa?" The voice was familiar, deep, hesitant, and the pain in it shocked me. My father... "Elisa...you gotta wake up now. I..." There it was again, that hesitation, the sense that he was at a complete loss for words. I didn't want him to stop talking...if I lost his voice now, I'd lose my way. I knew that more certainly then I had ever known anything in my life.

He was speaking again, and relief welled in me. "Remember when you told me that I'd be sorry that I never got to know you? If you don't wake up, I won't ever be able to tell you that you were right. I have never regretted anything more than I regret that right now." His voice became choked, like my mother's had been. "I know I haven't been the easiest father to you...I know I said the wrong thing almost every time I spoke to you. I just...you scare me, Elisa. Ever since you were little, half the time that I looked into your eyes you were only here in body...the rest of you was a million miles away. I didn't know how to reach you...it seems like you've always had one foot in our world and one foot in another and I just wanted to keep you here, with us. I didn't want you to drift away...I thought if I got mad enough, you'd be afraid to wander too far but now you're gone where I can't go after you. Come back, baby...let me make it right. _Please_."

His voice trembled and went silent, but I wasn't afraid now. I could see it...far away, but not so far I couldn't get to it...there was a light. A dim light, and there were voices, too muffled to make out but familiar enough to be reassuring. I wasn't lost any more...I was almost home. There was just one more thing to do...

I opened my eyes.

_**The End**_

**Author's Note coming right up...**

**Please don't forget to let me know what you think! :)**


	14. Author's Note

**If you haven't read chapter 13, the finale of Extraordinary yet, please do so before you continue**!

Author's Note:

I just wanted to say thank you so much to all of you who have taken the time to read my first Twilight fanfic, Extraordinary and comment on it. I know the first few chapters were a bit awkward but I'd like to think my writing improved as I went along. :) Without your kind words, I probably would not have kept going. Special thanks to my bud, Navirae...without your encouragement I never would have posted the story in the first place. And also thanks to my mother, whose infamous 'got drunk and woke up in a tree' story was the inspiration behind Elisa's unusual waking up spot in the forest. :p

So I'm dying to know what you all think...did Elisa imagine everything? Were her Twilight dreams just her way to escape her too critical father and mundane life? Or was there something more to it then that?

I personally can see it either way, but I have to admit I have a special fondness for the second option because it leads to...sequels! :D

Extraordinary was supposed to be a single story but I loved writing Elisa so much, especially when she interacted with the Cullens. The chapters with Emmett and the bear and where the Cullen brothers stole the cars were my favorites, but the storyline I had planned didn't allow me to write a lot of stuff like that. So I admit, I have been toying with the idea of a sequel, but I'd like to know if anyone would be interested in reading it. Obviously, I'm not going to write 'Elisa has strange Twilight dreams that might not be real' over again...been there, done that. I would definitely have to twist things a bit, and probably also include POVS from Bella and Edward, since this story would cover some major, much anticipated events in their lives. It will be longer and more intense then Extraordinary so I would love to hear some thoughts on it before I start such a big endeavor.

If I do start the sequel, it will probably be about a week before it's out. I'm going to the hospital tomorrow for hopefully minor surgery. The recovery time isn't expected to be long, but I'm a big whiny cry-baby so I plan to spend a few days in bed doing absolutely nothing.

Thanks again for reading-please let me know your thoughts.


	15. Author's Note 2

Author's Note 2:

Hey...just a quick note to let you all know that there _will_ definitely be a sequel to Extraordinary and I so much appreciate everyone who encouraged me to go for it. Unfortunately, this 'easy' recovery from surgery feels more like torture at this point, so the first chapter will not be out until next week sometime. I also wanted to respond to each review personally but that will also take me a few days to get to. :)

I did wanted to address the reviewer signed Mrs. Cullen, that I could not PM. Just to let you know, the sequel will most definitely be from Elisa's POV. There may be shorter POV's from Bella and Edward as well, just for this particular story, but it will always be primarily Elisa's story.

Thanks again to everyone who stuck with this story and sent me encouragement...I will try to get the new story going as soon as I can. :)

Ava

**_Update:_**

****

This probably isn't necessary but just in case anyone was waiting and missed it...the first two chapters of the sequel, _Evening Falls_, are up now! Check out my profile for the link. Hope you enjoy, and thanks again to everyone who read and reviewed _Extraordinary_...it's what inspired me to keep writing. : )


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